Thank Goodness
by weaksauce
Summary: Happy is what happens when all your dreams come true. But sometimes those dreams are not what you'd expect them to be. What does it take for Troy and Ryan to make their dreams come true? SLASH TroyRyan Tryan Prequel to After the Music
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:** Disney created them; Kenny Ortega made them dance; but I let them LIVE!

**TITLE:** Thank Goodness

**RATED:** M for mature situations and implied sexual activity

**WARNINGS:** This story is primarily slash although it starts out with a hetero pairing. That means boy x boy. If you don't like it, please don't feel like you have to read it. Constructive criticism and reviews are always appreciated.

This is also a prequel to my other story _After the Music_. You don't need to have read it to understand this story, but it might make the beginning of this chapter a little easier to understand … or mean a little more to you. Now please, enjoy!

_**Thank Goodness**_

"Where do you want this box?" Troy asked. He'd been helping Ryan and Kaden move into their new apartment along with Jordan for the last two hours. He was starting to sweat through his shirts, which was never very attractive. He hadn't expected it to be so warm on this mid-September day. It was fall, for god's sake.

Ryan popped out of the hallway and into the living room to see what Troy was carrying in. "You can just put it on the kitchen counter," he said noticing the large black 'K' written on the side of the cardboard box.

Troy trudged over into the kitchen and set the box on the counter before turning around and leaning on it to take a survey of the apartment. It was a nice size—two bedrooms a full kitchen, dining room and an oversized living room. And to top it all off, it was only two blocks away from campus. Troy had no idea how Ryan had been able to find such a nice apartment so close to school, but he figured his father had pulled a few strings. Which also explained why Ryan was taking the master bedroom while Kaden took the other. Not that Troy was complaining. He was more than happy to share Ryan's bathroom with him. It would more than likely prove very useful when he stayed the night, which he planned on being very often. All he knew was that it was going to be much better than the residence halls they had lived in last year.

Then Jordan walked in through the door carrying another box. He walked over to where Troy was standing and dropped the box on the table. "I always knew Kaden was dating me for my muscles," Jordan said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "He's up here setting up house with Ryan while you and I get to play pack mule and lug up all these boxes."

Jordan was a good-looking guy. He was taller than all get out, but still, a good guy. He stood taller than any of his friends at a little under six-and-a-half feet—much taller than Troy, who stood just under six feet. He had almost black hair, which contrasted interestingly with his boyfriend's near golden blond. He looked like he could have played basketball, but had apparently never shown any interest. Instead, he enjoyed golf, which suited Troy just fine. The two were bound to find themselves on the golf course many times before this school year was out. Jordan had been dating Ryan's roommate Kaden since the end of their first year at college and the two seemed to still be going strong.

"I know what you mean," Troy said, giving his friend a weak smile. "They'll probably dump us after we've finished providing the manual labor they need."

Jordan just nodded his head solemnly. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm ready for a break," he said. "I say we go on strike until our demands are met."

"And what exactly are our demands?" Troy asked, laughing at Jordan's joke. The two had become pretty good friends over the summer, thanks mostly to their boyfriends. Jordan had come with Kaden when he flew to New Mexico to visit Troy and Ryan over the summer and the four had spent a week bonding together without the hassle of classes and college-caused drama.

"Ice cold lemonade and a back rub," Jordan said seriously. "We won't lift another finger until our demands have been met!"

As if it had been planned out, as soon as Jordan had finished speaking, Kaden came out of what was soon to be his bedroom and walked into the kitchen. "And just what are you two talking about?" he asked, noticing that the two were just standing around staring at him.

"We're talking about fair working conditions and appropriate pay," Jordan said.

"Oh?" Kaden asked, quirking an eyebrow. "And what have you determined?"

"We demand ice cold lemonade and back rubs before we move another box," Jordan said. Troy just stood back and watched the interplay between his two friends. He was glad that Kaden had found a worthy boyfriend in Jordan. God knows he had gone through enough with his former boyfriend. It was nice to see that these two were so open with one another in front of other people and apparently when they were alone.

"What are they demanding?" Ryan asked, coming out into the room just in time to hear the tail end of the conversation. He walked over and stood next to Troy who wrapped his arm around the blond's waist.

"I guess they're demanding sustenance and massages," Kaden said, turning to his roommate. "They said they won't do anything else until their demands are met."

Ryan just laughed and shook his head. "Well, we better hurry up and meet them or we'll never finish moving in," he said. "Why don't you guys go sit on the couch? Kaden and I will be right there with refreshments for you manly men."

Jordan shot Troy a triumphant look, which was immediately wiped from his face when Kaden pinched his butt on his way to the kitchen. Troy just shook his head and made his way through the jungle of boxes to find a seat on the plush leather couch Ryan's parents had delivered earlier that day. Troy found himself wishing the movers had stayed to move the rest of Ryan's crap into the place, too. Life just wasn't fair sometimes.

No sooner had the two boys sat down than Ryan and Kaden entered with a few cans of soda and a box of crackers. Kaden went and took a seat next to Jordan while Troy pulled Ryan down in his lap. "Ew, Troy," Ryan whined. "You're all sweaty."

"I thought you liked it when I got all sweaty," Troy whispered to Ryan as he nuzzled his boyfriend's neck. Ryan just rolled his eyes, but stopped struggling against Troy's grip.

"You two are sickeningly cute sometimes, you know that?" Jordan said from his spot opposite the cuddling couple. "At first I thought it was just cute. Now it's just saccharinely sweet goo."

Kaden smacked his boyfriend lightly on the arm. "Leave them alone," he said.

"No, it's okay," Ryan said from his spot on Troy's lap. "It's mostly Troy's fault anyway. He was the same way with his girlfriend before we started dating. He's just got too much cuteness in him to keep it all bottled up."

Jordan just sat looking at the two, his eyes wide and his jaw open comically wide. "What do you mean his girlfriend?" he asked. "Troy had a girlfriend? Why am I just finding this out?" Then turning on his boyfriend. "Why don't you tell me things like this?"

Kaden just shrugged. He had known through his many conversations with Ryan that Troy had dated a girl named Gabriella before they got together, but it had never really come up in conversation before now and it wasn't necessarily something you just brought up all on your own.

"Well, are you going to tell me about it or are you just going to let me sit here and come up with all kinds of crazy stories on my own?" Jordan asked. "And trust me, I have a very over-active imagination."

"It's not really that interesting," Ryan said, still sitting on Troy's lap, his hand digging through the box of crackers. "Troy dated a girl. Now he's not. End of story."

"That's one hell of a story," Jordan replied. "I think this would be just the thing to get my lifting muscles back into gear."

Troy laughed. He really had no problem telling the story. It's not like he had gone up against insurmountable odds, faced rageful friends and family and an entirely homophobic student body just so that he could date Ryan. It was just a story about someone finding out what he really wanted and going after it. Basically what everyone did at one point in his or her life. Troy just had to deal with the added twist of questioning his sexuality. Still, it was an interesting story if he did say so himself.

"It's okay, babe," Troy said, rubbing his hand up and down Ryan's side. "Just tell the story. It's not like you're going to be unleashing some deep, dark secrets that only masochists would enjoy reading."

Ryan just huffed. "I guess," he said. "But I don't want to get stuck telling the whole thing. You always do this. You have to promise you'll tell parts of the story, too."

"Fine," Troy said resituating himself on the couch so that Ryan wasn't putting quite as much weight on his legs. "You start and I'll cut in when I have something to say."

"Okay," Ryan started. "A long time ago, in a land far, far away there was a stunning prince named Ryan who had the most stunning blond hair you had ever seen—"

Troy clapped a hand over Ryan's mouth, effectively cutting him off. "Okay," he said. "Since you're going to be all melodramatic, I guess I'll have to tell the story."

Ryan just shrugged and sat back, content to let Troy do all the talking. It was then, seeing the self-satisfied smirk on his boyfriend's face, that Troy knew he'd been duped. He shot one more look at Ryan before continuing with the story.

"So, it all started two years ago at the beginning of summer, right after this talent competition at Ryan's parent's country club …"

TWO YEARS EARLIER

Ryan stood at the bottom of the small hill near the outdoor patio of his parent's country club. He and the rest of the participants of the talent competition had just run down the grassy knoll it a fit of childhood exuberance. Sure, if people saw it they'd say it was beyond cheesy, but who cares?

He stopped to watch the fireworks with his newfound friends and as the first few went off, he turned to look back toward the clubhouse. There, at the top of the hill, he saw Troy and Gabriella embracing and his heart sank. Sure, he was already seeing someone and Troy had never shown any sign of being remotely interested in him, even as a friend until this summer, but he had still held some irrational hope that one day Troy would just realize that he, Ryan Evans, was just what Troy had been looking for. Yeah, it sounded like something fantastical right out of a Disney movie, but everyone has irrational dreams.

His boyfriend had been trying to 'take their relationship to the next level' for quite a while now, but Ryan kept putting things off, in the hopes that something would happen, give him a sign maybe that there was even a remote possibility that he would find someone he would find someone he really and truly loved. Not that he didn't love his boyfriend. He cared deeply for Austin, but he didn't know if it was the happy ever after kind of love. And he wanted to be sure about it before he did anything like give himself to another person.

He kept his eyes on Troy and Gabriella as their faces came closer and closer together. His heart sank even further when he saw their lips meet. As if the cosmos had decided to rub it in even further, another string of fireworks lit the sky. It appeared as if everything was against his unrequited crush on Troy.

Ryan smirked to himself. He sounded like some moonstruck spinster girl who was pining away after an unreachable someone. And in a way he was, but it wasn't like he was letting it impair his life. He wasn't forsaking all of his friends, family and relationships on the small hope that someone would see the light; he was just holding onto a dream. Kind of like little kids who still believe in Santa Claus. But after seeing how close Troy and Gabriella had been getting over the past school year, he was now ready to let of that dream. He was ready to move on. He was ready to be with someone who wanted to be with him in every sense of the word, even if he wasn't so sure as to his own feelings on the same person.

All anyone ever wants is to be wanted by someone else. To know that someone else is out there to put his or her emotions before their own. And Ryan had that. A sad smile graced his lips as he watched Troy and Gabriella with each other. He was happy for them; really, he was. He was glad that Gabriella had been able to find her niche so quickly after she moved to Albuquerque and he was happy that Troy had been able to find someone to bring him out of his jock-shell. And now, because of the two of them, he had more friends than he ever had before. Things, as a whole, were going fantastically and he couldn't really make himself be upset about all of that.

Ryan went back to looking around at all of his friends and spotted Sharpay over by Zeke, Jason and Kelsi. He began walking over toward them, hoping to get his sister's attention and let her know that he was leaving.

"Hey Shar," he said as he approached the blonde. "I'm going to take off in just a second, so if mom and dad ask, just let them know."

Sharpay turned to her brother with a curious glance. "Why are you leaving?" she asked. "The party is just starting, and everyone is going to want to see the guy who made the show such a big success."

"I just don't feel like hanging around here," he said, sending a glance back up toward the top of the hill where Troy and Gabriella were still standing. Sharpay followed his gaze and then gave him a sympathetic gaze. She knew about her brother's crush; they were twins. They shared many things, among them a taste in men. She knew that Ryan would never act on his feelings, though, and that was why she was so relentless in her pursuit of the brunet basketball star.

"Are you sure?" she asked, then leaned in so she could whisper to him. "There are a ton of people here, you probably won't even run into them at all tonight."

"Yeah," Ryan said, shaking his head. "I'm just going over to Austin's place to hang out with him. I'll call you later and let you know what's up."

"Okay," she said warily. She knew that Ryan was just using Austin as a warm body, not in a malicious way or anything, but because he didn't want to be alone. And she couldn't blame him for that. But that didn't mean she liked it either. "Just don't do anything I wouldn't do," she added as an afterthought while Ryan was walking away.

"I guess that leaves the door pretty wide open," Ryan shot back over his shoulder. "I'll see you later, sis."

Sharpay waved to him as he walked off. Soon, however, she was distracted by the people surrounding her and her brother made the way to the back of her mind as she began having fun with people she never thought she would ever be more than acquaintances. It's funny how life turns out sometime.

HSM•••HSM

Troy pulled away from Gabriella. He could feel that some of her lip gloss had rubbed off on his lips during their kiss and it tasted faintly of strawberries. He wasn't quite sure if he liked the taste, but he was pretty sure he didn't really like the feeling of the lip gloss on his own lips.

It was weird. At first, when his lips touched Gabriella's, he saw bright flashes of light behind his eyelids and thought that this was what a first kiss was supposed to be like. Then he opened his eyes. Gabriella's were still closed. Troy began looking around, his lips still pressed up against his girlfriend's. That's when he noticed the fireworks going off above them.

If it wasn't the kiss making the fireworks then that would explain why he currently felt so awkward. Wasn't he supposed to be focused completely on Gabriella? Wasn't the kiss supposed to be something all encompassing, something that was supposed to block everything else? And why was he looking around?

Then he felt his nose start to itch. But he didn't want to be the first person to break the kiss. What would Gabriella think? And so he stood there, with his lips pressed lamely against his girlfriend's. Then he watched as Gabriella's eyes opened and looked directly at him. He blushed and then pulled away from her. He smiled awkwardly at her and raised his arm to rub against the back of his neck nervously. Gabriella's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"That was … interesting," Gabriella said. "Maybe it's just because we're around so many people, you think?"

"Yeah," Troy answered quickly, a little too quickly, probably. "That must be it. I mean, and the fireworks must have had something to do with it, too."

Gabriella laughed. "Yeah," she said. "Well, it was … nice."

"Yeah," Troy replied, not really agreeing with Gabriella's assessment of their first kiss, but going along with it anyway. He didn't need to upset her after giving her what he assumed was probably one of the worst first kisses ever.

"Well," Gabriella started when Troy didn't make an attempt to say anything else. "I'm going to find Taylor and see if she needs any help cleaning up after the guests."

Troy nodded absently and watched as she walked back off toward the clubhouse. He smiled weakly at her and waved as she turned around to look back at him and then sat down on the cool grass, drawing his legs up to his chest and leaning his head down on his knees.

What the heck was going on? He had waited over seven months to give Gabriella that first kiss. He'd tried so many times before that and was always interrupted by something silly. He thought it was just the universe's way of telling him it wasn't quite time and that a better opportunity would present himself. He resigned himself to the fact that it would happen when it was supposed to and after they had reconciled on stage, he figured it would be the perfect time. He took her hand and ran off stage with her and the rest of their friends. As they stood at the top of the hill, he looked at her and she smiled. He knew it was time, and as the rest of their friends ran down the knoll, he brought her in for a kiss.

And then nothing. He felt absolutely nothing, which is what led him to begin taking in his surroundings. He at least thought their lips were supposed to be moving or something, but not even that. Weren't instincts supposed to take over with something like that? Shouldn't he have at least felt something? He had been trying to kiss the girl for the longest time and then when he did, he didn't even feel any kind of satisfaction. Wasn't the universe trying to get him the perfect first kiss?

He couldn't believe his awful luck. He draped his hands down by his side and he fisted his hands in the grass, ripping some out of the ground. Fulton would probably be mad if he saw what Troy was doing to the pristine lawn, but right now the brunet couldn't bring himself to care much. He was upset.

He wondered what was going through Gabriella's head at the moment. Was she having second thoughts about everything? Did he even really want to know what she was thinking? If this is what was going through his head, he couldn't even begin to imagine what was going through hers. Would she ever let him kiss her again? Did he even want to attempt it again?

Wait. What was he thinking? He'd waited a whole seven months to kiss her. Seven months! That had to mean something. It just had to. And then Troy stopped, his hands still gripping the grass tightly. Maybe it did mean something. Something he hadn't thought of quite yet. Maybe all the interruptions and roadblocks to his kissing Gabriella was not some universal power trying to make him wait for the right moment to kiss her, maybe it just wasn't meant to be. Maybe Gabriella just wasn't the girl for him. It sure as heck would explain that moment of supreme awkwardness that had just masqueraded as a kiss. Maybe he should just put an end to it all.

But he had put so much into the relationship. He couldn't let it just fall by the wayside. He could make it work, he knew he could. He just had to put some effort into it. That kiss didn't mean anything, it was just a fluke—probably just the pressure and the nerves from the performance they had just given.

Yeah, that was it.

With a newfound resolve, Troy let the grass in his hands fall back to the ground in a small pile. He stood up and brushed off his jeans, then began searching the crowd of friends for Gabriella. He spotted Chad not far from Zeke, Jason and Sharpay, but there was no sign of Gabriella or Taylor. He just shrugged to himself and went to go visit with his friends while he waited for his girlfriend to come back to the party.

"Hey guys," he yelled as he began jogging off toward his friends. They all looked up and waved him over. Yeah, things would be back to normal in no time flat.

HSM•••HSM

Ryan gently flung his feet over the side of the bed and reached down to the floor to pick up his underwear. He slipped them up his legs and over his hips before getting up completely and padding across the bedroom and into the hallway. He stopped when he reached the doorway and poked his head out to make sure the coast was clear. He then made it quickly across the hallway and into the bathroom.

He gently closed the door and flipped the bathroom light on. He let out a quick sigh and sagged against the wooden door. He looked over to the wall and saw his reflection in it. He was wearing only the pair of underwear he had slipped on moments before. His hair was tousled and he could see the bite mark that Austin had left on the juncture between his neck and shoulder.

He pushed himself off the door and ran his fingers over the bruise that was forming. He knew he should have been pleased with himself that he had made Austin so happy. He should have been back in the bedroom cuddling with him under the sheets, but he just couldn't bring himself to do that. What he really wanted to do was go home and take a really long shower, and that shouldn't have been the first though in his head after he had just done something so personal with someone who he claimed to love.

The mirror in the bathroom took up the entire wall, from above the sink going across the entire side of the room to the shower. It allowed Ryan to look over his entire body. He looked good, if he did say so himself. He turned to his side to look at his profile. He was lithe and lightly muscled, mostly thanks to his dance and yoga regimen. His light blond hair fell across his eyes and he raised his hand to move it out of his face.

His chest was hairless as was most of his body. Some people thought that made him less manly, but Ryan liked the fact that he didn't have much body hair. He ran his hands lightly over his chest and then down to his stomach. He turned around some more to get a look at his backside. His rear end filled out his underwear nicely and he roamed his hands over the soft cotton. There was a slight twinge of pain as he rotated more to get a better look, a reminder of what he had just finished.

That brought him back to his current situation and he moved to take a seat on the lid of the toilet. He rested his elbows on his knees and laid his head in his hands before letting out another sigh. He should have been feeling more attached to Austin right now, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He heaved another sigh before getting up and checking his face in the mirror. Then he turned off the light, opened the door and made his way back to his boyfriend's bedroom. He walked back to the bed and lifted the sheets so he could climb back in.

As soon as he was settled, he felt an arm snake across his middle and pull until he was snug up against his boyfriend. "You doing okay?" Austin asked. "I was about to come out and see if you needed anything."

"No, I'm fine," Ryan replied, letting his boyfriend plant a soft kiss on his shoulder as they snuggled. "I just had to clear my head."

"Yeah," Austin said, misunderstanding what Ryan was talking about. "That was pretty amazing, wasn't it? I'm glad you finally decided the time was right. Now we'll be able to know absolutely everything about one another."

"Yeah," Ryan replied half-heartedly. "It'll be great."

Ryan wasn't facing Austin, so his boyfriend couldn't see that his expression wasn't really reflection what he had just spoken. But Austin didn't really seem to notice anything was amiss, at least, Ryan couldn't tell by his boyfriend's actions. He was cuddling up behind Ryan and placing soft kisses all along Ryan's neck and back and Ryan didn't have the heart to tell him to stop.

Then he felt Austin maneuvering him to turn around in the bed so that they were facing each other. When he had finished moving, he looked directly into the brown eyes of his boyfriend and willed himself to feel the same way that Austin felt about him.

It's not that he wasn't attracted to his boyfriend. Austin was slightly taller than he was, but was a lot like Ryan in many other ways. He was lithe, but not incredibly muscled and had a head full of shaggy blond hair. He also did dancing, which was how they met in the first place. Austin went to a private school in Albuquerque and was heavily involved in the drama department there. He also took dance lessons where he and Sharpay had been going since they were little kids.

When they first met, they were drawn to each other because of how much they had in common and when they found out that both of them were interested in men, it only seemed logical that they start dating. They had been seeing each other since the beginning of the previous school year and were coming up on their one year anniversary, which probably explained why Austin was so preoccupied with them committing to each other by having sex.

Ryan was brought out of his thoughts once again when he heard Austin whisper into his ear. "I love you," he said.

Ryan just laid still for a minute before saying, "Me too." But it didn't matter, Austin's breathing had already evened out. He was asleep. Ryan stayed in the same position, not wanting to wake his sleeping boyfriend. He didn't really feel like talking about their relationship at the moment and was content to just lie there.

He really hoped morning would come soon, so he could beg off quickly and head home.

**A/N: I just wanted to say a quick thanks to everyone who stayed with me while I finished After the Music. I hope you all really enjoy this story. I put Kaden and Jordan at the beginning just for you guys. I know in my last story I had a ton of OCs, but I only plan on having one in this story (so for all of you who don't like original characters, you can breathe a little easier.**

**Also, I tried really hard to make it so that Ryan didn't come off as a whiney little baby who's just pining after someone. I don't think that's how his character is, but I could totally see him harboring a crush on Troy. Let me know if you think I didn't get that to come across in my description of him.**

**And for those of you who were interested. The story's title is taken from a song in **_**Wicked**_**. It's also called Thank Goodness, and I just think it's a fantastic song. I'm going to post the lyrics below this so you can read through it. I think it's actually influenced how I set up the plot for this, so if you want to see where I'm going with this, just take a minute to read some of the lyrics below.**

**Now, read and review! I hope you all enjoy this new story!!**

**Thank Goodness, sung by Kristen Chenoweth**

_Yes - _

_We couldn't be happier, _

_Right, dear?_

_Couldn't be happier_

_Right here_

_Look what we've got_

_A fairy-tale plot_

_Our very own happy ending_

_Where we couldn't be happier - _

_True, dear?_

_Couldn't be happier_

_And we're happy to share_

_Our ending vicariously_

_With all of you_

_He couldn't look handsomer_

_I couldn't feel humbler_

_We couldn't be happier_

_Because happy is what happens_

_When all your dreams come true!_

_That's why I couldn't be happier_

_No, I couldn't be happier_

_Though it is, I admit_

_The tiniest bit_

_Unlike I anticipated_

_But I couldn't be happier_

_Simply couldn't be happier_

_(spoken) Well - not "simply":_

_(sung) 'Cause getting your dreams_

_It's strange, but it seems_

_A little - well - complicated_

_There's a kind of a sort of : cost_

_There's a couple of things get: lost_

_There are bridges you cross_

_You didn't know you crossed_

_Until you've crossed_

_And if that joy, that thrill_

_Doesn't thrill you like you think it will_

_Still - _

_With this perfect finale_

_The cheers and ballyhoo_

_Who _

_Wouldn't be happier?_

_So I couldn't be happier_

_Because happy is what happens_

_When all your dreams come true_

_Well, isn't it?_

_Happy is what happens_

_When your dreams come true!_


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Ryan softly shut the door to his car and began walking up the path leading to the front door of his parents' large white house. The weather in the early morning hours of this Saturday was very reflective of Ryan's mood. That is to say it was cloudy and from the looks of it, they didn't much know if they wanted to rain or not. That fact did not go unnoticed by Ryan and only seemed to add to his melancholy.

He stopped in front of the large oak door that would lead him into his house and just stared at it for a moment, the keys dangling from his hand. He didn't know why he was so hesitant to go into his own home. It's not like anyone there would know what he had just done and how he felt about it. No one would bat an eye if he just walked into the house and up to his room like any other normal teenager. No one would think that he was an unfeeling, callous jerk who was using the fact that his boyfriend loved him like no one else so that he wouldn't have to be the lonely gay boy who went through high school without dating anyone. No. No one would even think that.

And so, with a deep sigh, Ryan inserted his key into the lock and pushed open the heavy wooden door and shuffled inside, closing it softly behind him. He shoved his keys back into his pocket and turned around to make his way over to the stairway that would lead him up to his room and to safety. He had just reached the banister when a female voice accompanied by the clicking of some stiletto slippers stopped him. And there was only one person on earth who would wear healed slippers.

"And just what do you think you're doing getting home so … well, is it late or early? I can't really tell," Sharpay said from behind him.

Ryan turned to face her. He was unsurprised to find her hair in an up-do, surrounded in a pink wrap. She said it kept her face from coming into contact with any unwanted oils from her hair. She had tried to make Ryan do it, too, but he had been able to dissuade her from wrapping his head in a matching teal wrap. The fuzzy, pink collar of her thin, silk robe was brushing up against her neck. Ryan thought she only wore it because of the train that dragged across the floor behind her. There was no other reason for it; it couldn't have possibly kept her any warmer than her nightgown.

"Well, are you just going to stare at me or are you actually going to answer my question?" She asked impatiently. Ryan hadn't noticed that he was just standing there, but once Sharpay brought him out of it, he just shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and continued his assent up the stairway.

"Don't think you're getting out of this that easily, Ryan Evans," Sharpay said in a tone that made Ryan want to run up to his room and lock the door, but he knew that no matter how fast he ran or how many locks he put on his door, Sharpay would find a way to get in there and get everything out of him. There was no escape, and the clicking of her heals only cemented his fate. He'd try to put off the conversation as long as he could, but he knew that nothing could stop Sharpay when she was on a mission.

Once he reached to the top of the stairway, he began walking down the hallway toward his room. Along the hallway were pictures upon pictures. Some of them of the entire Evans family, others of Sharpay and Ryan at different ages and then a row of all of their school pictures, ending with their senior photos that had just been taken a few weeks prior. Sharpay was surrounded by pink — as usual, while his picture featured him in a field setting near a creak. He wasn't really facing the camera and was dipping a hand into the stream. Sharpay and his parents thought it was artistic, he thought it looked kind of goofy. But whatever; it wasn't ever going in his house.

He stood in front of his door for a second and then pushed it open. He dumped his jacket over the back of his desk chair and walked over to his bed, flopping down on top of the comforter. He waited for Sharpay to perch herself on the foot of his bed before saying anything and once he felt the telltale sagging of his mattress, he let out a sigh.

"So, do you want the Reader's Digest version or the Us Weekly tell-all version?" Ryan asked, laying an arm across his face, covering his eyes. Like he really needed to ask that question.

"Give me a break," Sharpay scoffed. "Spill everything. I want every teensy, tiny, little, minute detail."

"I had sex last night," Ryan said, hoping to get the biggest news out and into the open so that he could maybe skirt the whole issue of his not really knowing if it was the best decision to sleep with Austin.

"Pff," Sharpay muttered. "Like I didn't know that was going to happen last night. I mean, you weren't being really discreet with your whole, 'I'm going to be with Austin, wink, wink, wink' act from last night."

"Oh give me a break," Ryan said, throwing his hand off his face and sitting up on his bed, hoping to throw a glare at his sister. "I did no such thing. You're just using your twin connection in an inappropriate manner."

"Whatever," she responded. "The point is, that's no big surprise. I know there's something else going on with you, so cut the crap and get to the chase."

Ryan just rolled his eyes and reached around to bring his pillow to rest in his lap. "It's just, you know how Austin's been wanting to 'take things to the next level' for a while now, right?" Ryan asked. At Sharpay's nod, he continued, "I just don't know if I should have done it, you know?"

"What?" Sharpay asked, her brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean you don't know if you should have done it? You already did."

"I mean," Ryan started, hoping to clarify himself, "I think Austin wanted us to do this because he has really deep feelings for me and this was his way of showing it, and that by me agreeing to do it, I was basically saying that I felt the same way. And I don't know if I do feel the same way as he does."

"That didn't clarify anything for me," Sharpay deadpanned. Ryan rolled his eyes again. He guessed he could cross off psychology from the list of potential majors for her in college next year.

"Austin said he loves me. I don't know if I love him. I think I rushed into the whole sex thing and I might end up hurting Austin in the long run," Ryan stated succinctly, hoping that would be enough to get the point across to his sister.

"Oh, Ryan," Sharpay sighed, moving up the bed so that he could put her arm around his shoulders in a comforting manner. "If you're not sure about how you feel, you shouldn't have done anything like that."

"Like I didn't know that," Ryan said condescendingly, feeling even worse now that his sister had voiced his own thoughts on the matter.

"You didn't let me finish," Sharpay said, lightly punching her brother in the shoulder for cutting her off. "If you weren't sure, you shouldn't have done it, but since you have, you might as well really take the time to think about him and your feelings for him, because the longer you keep going on not knowing and letting him think you love him as much as he do you, the more it's going to hurt if you decide to end things."

Ryan sat on his bed in silence for a moment, soaking in everything Sharpay had just said. "Wow," he said a little breathily, "I never expected you to be so profound with all of this emotional stuff."

"Oh shut up," Sharpay said, slapping him in the arm again. "It's not like I'm an idiot or anything. I'm just really self-absorbed. But that doesn't mean that I can't have a profound moment every once in a while. Give me a little credit."

Ryan just laughed and then relaxed against the headboard of his bed. Sharpay smiled and leaned back next to him. The two sat in companionable silence for a few moments, taking in everything they had just talked about. This was generally how the two went through the milestones of their lives together. It was the same when Sharpay had gotten her first kiss, when Ryan came out to Sharpay and when he first started dating Austin. The ritual nature of it all was very comforting to both of them. It was how they dealt with all of life's changes.

"So, you had sex," Sharpay said, just stating out loud what she already knew.

"Yep," Ryan replied.

"What was it like?" she asked.

"Do you really want to know?" he asked in return, turning his head to give her a look that clearly said he knew the answer to the question.

"Not really," she said, a smile crossing her face. They knew each other all too well.

"It kind of hurt at first," Ryan said, beginning to tell her anyway. "But after a while it was okay, I guess. I don't know. I'm probably not the person you really want to be talking about great first times."

"You never were very good at being the first to go through a major life hurdle," Sharpay said, leaning her head on her brother's shoulder.

"Ha, ha," Ryan said. "Need I remind you of when mom said you couldn't sleep with your blanket anymore? 'No, mom! No! I need my blankie! I can't sleep without my blankie!'" he ended in a mock five-year-old Sharpay voice.

"Oh stuff it," Sharpay said with a little pout. It wouldn't do for anyone to know about her and her blankie. She had a reputation to protect.

"Well, I'm going to take a shower and then take a nap," Ryan said, moving to get off the bed and walk over to his dresser.

"Good luck with that," Sharpay said. "Mom is downstairs making breakfast, and I'm pretty sure she'll be up in the next few minutes to 'wake you up' and get you down to eat. So much for your nap."

Just then, there was a soft knock on his door and his mother's voice drifted in, letting them know that breakfast was ready. Ryan just hung his head. This day wasn't turning out much how he had wanted.

HSM•••HSM

Troy stretched his arms over his head and turned to straighten out his back as he woke up in his comfortable bed. His sheets were tangled around his legs, leaving his chest bared to the chilled morning air. Feeling his skin tighten into goose bumps, he brought his arms back down to his torso so he could use his hands to rub over the chilled flesh. His body shivered again, so he decided it would probably be best if he got out of bed and put on a few more clothes. He threw his feet over the edge of the bed and stood on his plush carpet, his eyes roaming over the floor, finally landing on the undershirt he had worn the previous day.

He reached down and grabbed the thin, white shirt and brought it up over his head. He then walked over to his dresser to grab a pair of gym shorts, not really wanting to walk around his house in the blue boxer briefs he was currently sporting. He grabbed an old pair of black gym shorts and put them on before heading over to the door. On his way, his eye caught a picture of Gabriella he had pinned to the corkboard on his wall, and everything from last night came rushing back.

The kiss, the fireworks, his feelings, his uncertainty — everything he just wanted to forget or push aside. He stopped and let out a quick sigh, letting the feelings of confusion and uncertainty wash over him. What had started out as just another typical Saturday morning had now morphed into something that not even a bowl of the most sugary cereal would be able to fix. Still, he collected himself and moved to open the door so he could head downstairs to the kitchen. Hopefully no one else would be around so he could just eat his cereal in peace.

Unfortunately, Troy wasn't that lucky. He was beginning to think that somehow the world had turned against him and was now conspiring to do exactly the opposite of what he desired. His mother was sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a cup of tea and going through the community section of the newspaper. She looked up as she saw Troy enter the kitchen and smiled at her son who just looked at her before turning to scavenge through the cupboards for all the necessary materials for a proper breakfast of Cap'n Crunch mixed with Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Awkward combination, yes. Sugary as all get out, you have no idea. Exactly what Troy wanted.

He grabbed a bowl from the cupboard, a spoon from the silverware drawer, the milk from the refrigerator and the two boxes of cereal from the pantry and balanced them all in his two arms. He then dumped them unceremoniously on the tabletop and pulled out a chair from underneath. He plopped himself down and began situating everything so that he could begin eating. The back of the cereal boxes still held much interest for Troy, not to mention the fact that if he read them he was far less likely to engage in any kind of communication with his mother.

The two of them sat in relative silence for several minutes. The only sounds being heard were the muffled ruffle of the newspaper and the clanking of Troy's silverware against the ceramic bowl filled more with sugar than anything else. Apparently if Troy saved up 25 box tops from the Cap'n Crunch boxes, he would be able to send in for a genuine Cap'n watch. If you pressed one of the buttons on the side it would say something like, "You and the Cap'n make it happen," or something like that. Troy was almost tempted to begin collecting, the idea of that going off during one of his classes almost made up for the fact that he'd have a giant plastic recreation of the cartoon character's face attached to his wrist.

He was brought out of his sugar-induced thoughts by his mother. "So," she began, "did you and all of your friends have fun after the talent show last night? Your father and I saw you all run off after you were finished singing."

"Oh yeah," Troy said distractedly. "Great time. Lots of fun."

"You and Gabriella seemed to be awfully close, too," she said, still trying to pry any kind of information she could out of her son. "Does this mean that everything is okay between you two now?"

Troy's spoon stopped half way between the bowl and his mouth as he just gaped at her. Leave it to his mother to bring up exactly the one topic about which he did not want to speak. And she would have been that observant. She probably even saw how awkward the kiss was and that's why she was bringing it up. She probably thought Troy was some lost cause in kissing and was going to give him one of those life moment talks. And that just freaked him out even more. How was it that his mind was going off on these wild tangents? He decided to just play it off and go with the flow however. Even though he was pretty sure his wide eyes and gaping mouth would have probably already prevented that.

Troy needed to get a grip.

"Yeah," he said. "I guess you could say we worked everything out and we're all alright … I guess."

His mother shot him a confused look, as if his answer threw her for a loop. "I thought you would be a little more excited about everything working out for the better. Your father told me about everything that was going on and how upset you were about it."

"I-I am happy," Troy stuttered, not really knowing how to dodge his mother's questions. "I-I don't know; I guess I just didn't sleep well," he ended, his voice signaling more of a question than a statement.

"Oh," his mother said, not really sure if she believed what her son was telling her. "Well, as long as everything is going well …"

"It is, mom," Troy. "Everything is great." And with that, Troy began shoveling his breakfast back into his mouth with fantastic speed. It was all a part of his goal to get the heck out of the kitchen before she had the opportunity to ask anything else that he didn't want to answer.

"Well then," she said, setting the newspaper down on the table and folding her hands on top of it. Troy didn't like the looks of it and began shoveling his food in even more quickly. Sadly, not even superhuman eating speeds would save him from this conversation with his mother. "How is Gabriella doing, then? It's been quiet not having her and your other friends over here for the last few weeks."

Troy swallowed the large amounts of sugary goop in his mouth. "I guess she's doing okay," he said after putting his spoon back down. Truth be told, he really didn't know how she was doing. He hadn't really been on speaking terms with her for the last while, and then the talent show had happened and the craziness that came along with it. The next thing he knew, he was standing on the top of that hill living through what was probably the most awkward kiss in the history of man. Even after all was said and done, he didn't really get a chance to talk with her. She had ridden to the club with Taylor and both left pretty early on in the evening.

Actually, when Troy thought about it, he didn't even know if the two of them had officially gotten back together. And that added a whole different layer of awkwardness to everything he was currently going through. Why was it that girls were so freaking confusing? And, of course, that point invariably led to the fact that he had already been contemplating the evening before. If there wasn't anything there to begin with, should he be fighting to keep it?

"Well, that's good," his mother replied, still wondering if she was just completely misreading Troy or if there really was something off with him. "Are you sure everything is alright?"

"Yeah, sure, mom. Why wouldn't it be?" Troy said as he began gathering everything up from the table, not willing to risk staying in the vicinity of his mother for much longer. He threw the boxes of cereal haphazardly into the cupboards before dropping his bowl and spoon into the sink and making his way toward the hallway and up to his room.

"Troy," his mother called out to him just before he exited the kitchen. He stopped, bracing himself for the worst. It was, after all, what the world was throwing at him lately. "I just – if anything is bothering you, you know you can talk to me about it, right?"

Troy stood there for a second, then turned around to face his mom and gave her a lop-sided smile. "Yeah, mom," he said. "I know." And then he took off from the kitchen and up to his room. He needed to do something to get rid of some of the stress he was feeling. And he knew exactly what would do the trick.

HSM•••HSM

Ryan and Sharpay headed down the stairway and walked to the dining room where their parents were already seated waiting for them. The two siblings took their traditional seat across from one another while their parents sat at the head and foot of the table.

By the looks of the spread, Ryan's mom had gone all out this morning for breakfast; no doubt as a sort of celebration for her Ducky's big win at the talent contest last night. At least that would help to explain the three different kind of pastries, the fruit tray, eggs, pancakes, French toast and every other conceivable breakfast food that was currently gracing their dining table. To say they never lacked in parental validation was a massive understatement.

"There's my strapping young boy," Ryan's mom said as he sat down. "I hope you didn't have too much fun celebrating your big win last night, Ducky."

"Oh, Tish," Ryan's dad started as he leaned over and patted his son on the arm. "You know our boy has a good head on his shoulders. Besides, he's looking alive and alert this morning. It doesn't seem as though he did anything _too_ rambunctious."

Ryan just blushed and lowered his head while his sister smirked at him and reached for the croissants. The moves went unnoticed by both of their parents, but when Ryan looked up, he saw the devious glint in his sister's eyes and knew that nothing would be sacred for too long … at least not this morning.

Instead of letting his sister get to him, Ryan just proceeded scooping up his plate. He took a piece of French toast and some eggs and then doused both with some warm maple syrup. He was a firm believer that everything ended up in the same place, so why not mix it all up to begin with? Besides, he had a wicked sweet tooth and the more maple syrup he could get on his plate, the better.

The four Evans ate in silence together for a few moments, but the peace and quiet was soon broken when Sharpay placed her silverware back down on the table and looked up at Ryan with mock curiosity written all over her face. "What exactly _did_ you do last night, Ry?" she asked, knowing full well what he did. Ryan hated sometimes the fact that he couldn't keep anything from his sister. It just meant that it would come out to his parents sooner rather than later. "You left the party awfully early. Didn't you say something about going to see Austin?'

Ryan shot his sister a foul glance and then looked over at his parents who were eyeing him with curious looks. It's not that Ryan was nervous about telling his parents what he did. They all had a very open and trusting relationship. His parents were the first people he told when he realized he was gay … besides Sharpay, that is. But he was pretty sure they had all known anyway.

His parents were very progressive and had only been encouraging and supporting of Ryan's sexual orientation and decision to be open about it. But he couldn't help but be nervous about being so open with them about his sex life. It just wasn't something any child would be jumping for joy to just talk about with their parents. But it looked as if Sharpay was going to take that option away from him. Sometimes he really hated having a sister.

His mother and father were still looking at him expectantly, causing Ryan to blush, but he started talking anyway. "Well, yeah," he started. "I went to Austin's place last night. We just hung out and … stuff."

"Oh yeah … stuff," Sharpay said with a subtle mocking laugh in her voice. "Stuff that took all night and into the morning, huh?"

Ryan shot Sharpay another look. "I swear to God, Sharpay, if you don't shut up—"

"Ryan," his mother interrupted, "watch your langugage."

"Sorry, mom," Ryan said, looking somewhat contrite. She just smiled back at him indulgently, but her look also said that she was still waiting for him to tell her what he had done last night. "But Austin and I just hung out with each other … and did boyfriend … things."

Sharpay couldn't help but snort at that last line, causing her parents to shift attention from Ryan to her. "That's one way of putting it," she said. "Let's just say that your strapping young boy is now a strapping young man."

Both of their parents just looked between their two children confusedly for a moment before the realization of what Sharpay had just announced set in. "Oh my," her mother said. "You-you … and Austin ..." apparently she was at a loss for words. But that didn't stop her from getting up from her seat and walking around the table in order to fling her arms around Ryan. "You were safe, weren't you?" she asked as she was still hugging Ryan. That only caused Ryan to blush even further, but didn't stop him from glaring over his mother's shoulder over at his sister.

"Don't be silly, Tish," Ryan's father said from his seat at the table. "Of course they were safe. We've raised both of our children to be responsible young adults. Ryan wouldn't have done anything stupid and he certainly wouldn't have done anything unless he really had deep feelings for this young man."

That last comment caused Ryan to look down at the table, not really wanting to meet the gaze of either of his parents or his sister. Leave it to his parents to assume the best of him when he was feeling the worst about himself. When his mom pulled away from him, he could see the water in his eyes and for some reason it made him feel even worse. She placed a soft kiss on his cheek and made her way back to her seat.

Ryan just pushed the food around his plate as the rest of his family went on about their business and finished breakfast. He didn't feel to terribly hungry after listening to his parents talk about how responsible and grown up he was, when all he felt like was a scared, confused teenager.

He also wanted revenge on Sharpay, but that could wait for now.

HSM•••HSM

After breakfast, Troy ran up to his room to slip on some tennis shoes and grab his basketball. Shooting hoops was always a guaranteed way to either clear his mind or help him de-stress. This time, he was in desperate need of both.

He walked out into his backyard and shivered a bit in the abnormally cool summer weather. The half court in his backyard served for a practice area for him in the off season, but had more recently been a place where he could get his head together when faced with a situation he didn't quite understand.

He lined himself up with the basketball hoop and raised his arms, preparing to shoot. He tossed the ball and watched as it bounced off the backboard and onto the rim before going through the net. Troy allowed himself a small, satisfied smirk before chasing after the ball.

He picked up the ball, which had stopped bouncing near one of the bushes at the side of the court, and began thinking about the problem at hand as he began to lazily dribble the basketball.

Everything with Gabriella had just kind of fit together. They met, things clicked and they started dating. Sure, his dad had a problem with everything at the beginning, but he warmed up to Gabriella eventually, and his mother sure seemed to have a soft spot for her. Things had never really been too complicated with them either, unless you threw Sharpay into the mix, but in those instances, all bets were off anyway. He couldn't seem to understand why he was making such a big deal out of this whole kiss thing when no one else even seemed to notice.

He took another jump shot and watched as the ball swished through the net without touching any other part of the metal hoop. He ran to grab the ball before it went too far away and then turned and pulled a fancy lay-up out of the whole ordeal. He got the rebound and then walked away from the hoop, intending to take a further, three-point shot.

So what if the first kiss he'd had with Gabriella had been the epitome of awkward? She didn't seem to be too upset about it. And so what if the fireworks he thought had been because of the kiss had actually been real fireworks? It was only a minor setback as far as Troy was concerned.

His dad used to tell him that anything worth having was worth fighting for, and it seemed to make sense to him right now. He had thought last night about just ending things with Gabriella. If there was nothing there between them, why spend so much time working on it? Why not just call it quits before they ended up hating each other in the end?

Then the voice of his dad drifted into his head, which was a weird experience, considering he had been thinking about his relationship with his girlfriend. That's when he realized that he had been looking at the situation from a pessimist's point of view, and if there was anything that Troy Bolton was not, it was a pessimist. He had to work on his relationship with Gabriella, not just let it go by the wayside.

And that's when he came to a new resolve. He was going to put 110 percent into his relationship. He was going to fight and work harder than he had worked on anything so he could make this relationship work. The first kiss had been a fluke, and with Troy's new determination, he would make sure that nothing like that would ever happen again.

So he squared his shoulders and set his feet. He faced the hoop and raised his arms. He watched as the basketball sailed out of his hands in the direction of its target. He watched as it bounced off the backboard and onto the rim of the hoop. He watched as it bounced around several times before ultimately bouncing off the hoop and onto the ground. He frowned as he watched the ball bounce near the base of the hoop and then walked forward to grab it.

He picked up the ball and stared at it for a moment. He had already come to a conclusion about his predicament, so he no longer needed to shoot hoops. He carried the ball against his waist as he re-entered his house and then made his way up to his room.

Tomorrow, he was supposed to meet up with Gabriella at the coffee shop. He'd put his plan into action then. He would be attentive and caring — he'd be the best boyfriend ever. Then, even if he was a bad kisser, Gabriella wouldn't care because he'd still be able to cover the rest of the important boyfriend things.

He took off his shirt once he reached his bedroom and tossed the ball over toward his closet. He needed to take a shower and get ready for the day ahead of him. The ball he tossed rolled over to his dresser and bumped up against it, causing the whole structure to shake a bit, which was apparently enough to knock over a framed picture of Gabriella against the surface.

Troy walked over to his dresser to right the picture and to grab a fresh pair of boxers. When he picked up the frame, he noticed the glass had broken. He set it back down and made a mental note to replace the frame later. He then slipped off his shorts and underwear before grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist, preserving at least some of his modesty as he walked down the hallway toward the bathroom.

**A/N: Well, here is chapter two. I'm sorry it took so long, but moving back to Ohio from Oregon took a bit of time and then starting the semester also made it more difficult to get this chapter out quickly. But … here it is and I hope you all enjoy it.**

**I'm trying to get everyone to act like I remember people acting in high school, so this emotional turmoil that both are going through will last for a little while and Troy and Ryan definitely won't be getting together any time soon. **

**I also wanted to take a second to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Your kind words and suggestions mean a lot and I hope you know that. Anyway. I hope you've enjoyed the second chapter. Please leave a review and let me know what you thought.**

**pre·quel **(prē'kwəl)

**n.** A literary, dramatic, or cinematic work whose narrative takes place before that of a preexisting work or a sequel.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Troy pulled into the parking lot of the local coffee shop. His beat up old truck was making a few noises that he was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to make, and he made a mental note to have his dad take a look at it when he got home. He opened the door and stepped out of the truck, taking in the coffee shop that was standing right before him. It was exactly like a Starbucks coffee shop, but not a part of the national chain, and apparently that made it more hip. Why? He didn't know, but he didn't complain. It served good coffee and the seats were really comfortable.

As he walked closer to the shop he looked in through the window front of the store and spotted Gabriella sitting in one of the squishy armchairs in the heart of the café. He was somewhat surprised to see a blond guy sitting across from her, but that feeling of surprise was somewhat lessened when he looked a bit closer and saw that the blond in question was the one and only Ryan Evans. The two of them had become a lot closer since the beginning of the summer and he guessed that this was just something that they did now.

He thought maybe he should be feeling a bit of jealousy that Ryan was seemingly becoming yet another important male figure in Gabriella's life, but he just couldn't bring himself to care that much. He shook his head as that thought ran through his head. It wasn't that he didn't care, it was that he really didn't feel as though Ryan was that much of a threat. He just didn't seem like someone who would try to steal someone's girlfriend away from them. Sharpay on the other hand was a totally different story, as she had demonstrated earlier, but Troy just couldn't help but think that Ryan was totally different than his twin sister. He didn't have anything to back up his theory; it's not like he knew Ryan all that well or anything, but from what little interactions he did have with the blond, he could tell that Ryan wouldn't do anything like that.

As he approached the door, he could tell that Gabriella still hadn't noticed him; she looked as though she was really engaged in the conversation she was having with Ryan. He finally pushed the door open, and the bells above the door jangled, announcing his arrival, and only then did Gabriella look up from her friend to see Troy. A smile spread across her face and she waved, but made no movement to get up from her chair. Some people might have been upset by the somewhat lackluster greeting, but Troy could understand — those chairs were really comfortable. He could understand that she didn't exactly want to loose it. He waved back and made his way to the counter to place his order.

After ordering an iced caramel macchiato, he turned away from the counter to look back over to where his girlfriend and Ryan were sitting. He couldn't see Gabriella's face as she was facing away from him, but he could see the blond's. He took a moment to actually survey Ryan. He had never actually taken the time to really look at the male Evans twin, but he could tell that he had never seen Ryan so animated before. He looked so full of life and exuberance, something he seemed to be lacking when he was around his sister or at school. It was a new experience for Troy, but at least now he could begin to see what his girlfriend saw in the quiet blond boy.

Troy grabbed his drink when the barista put it on the pick up counter and then moved to find a seat in the area where Gabriella and Ryan were sitting. He was able to grab another one of the squishy chairs right next to his girlfriend and plopped down in it before someone was able to steal it out from under him. Sometimes these coffee shops could be like a war zone.

Once settled in his seat, he looked over at his girlfriend and shot her a smile. He then looked toward Ryan who was smiling lightly at him, and returned the gesture. "So," he started, taking a sip of his drink, "what have you guys been up to? How long have you been here? I thought we were supposed to meet at 11 o'clock."

"Well," Gabriella started, "Ryan showed up at my place a little early, so we just decided to get here earlier. You know how this place can be if there are too many people here. We thought we'd at least stake our claim."

"Yeah," Ryan agreed, chuckling a little at what Gabriella had just said. "Besides, I needed to get away from my sister as soon as possible. She's been an absolute nightmare this entire weekend."

Gabriella gave Ryan a consoling look. They had actually just been talking about Sharpay's shenanigans before Troy sat down with them. Troy just spent the moment thinking about how he had no idea how Ryan could live day in and day out with Sharpay. He could barely handle his day-to-day interactions with the blonde bombshell, but he also nodded sympathetically at Ryan.

A somewhat awkward silence settled among the three friends. Gabriella and Ryan could no longer continue the conversation they were having. For many reasons, obviously. Among them being that Ryan had not come out to Troy as of yet … that and he didn't exactly want to be sharing the secrets of his love life with the person he had been crushing on for God knows how long. But Gabriella didn't need to know that last little bit either.

"So," Troy began after the silence got to be too much for him, "what were you guys talking about before I got here?"

Ryan blushed and began to stutter, but Gabriella was quick to cover for the embarrassed blond boy. "We were just talking about relationship stuff," she said quickly, not really realizing exactly how obvious she was being and how it could have been misread.

Troy, however, hadn't missed that double entendre and couldn't help but wonder if they were talking about his relationship with Gabriella. Of course, that wouldn't have caused Ryan to blush like he had … unless he was nervous that Troy would be mad that he was talking about his private life with his girlfriend. Troy shook the thought from his mind; he was just being paranoid. Gabriella wasn't one to air their dirty laundry for the whole world to see.

The three continued to make small talk for the next few minutes, each of them enjoying the company and the calm atmosphere of the café, not to mention the fact that caffeine was their lifeblood and any chance to ingest it was never passed up. The chit chat never veered into areas that could be considered too personal for the group, mostly because Troy did not know much about Ryan, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

Gabriella and Ryan had been discussing the chlorine levels in the Lava Springs pools when Troy noticed a lanky blond boy walk into the shop. He looked around, a smile spreading across his face when it landed on the area where the three of them were sitting. Troy looked around curiously, wondering who exactly this new guy was looking at when that question was answered for him.

He watched as the blond came over and sat on the arm of Ryan's chair, throwing his arm across Ryan's shoulders. Troy watched as Ryan's cheeks flushed and the blond leaned in to whisper something in his ear. Ryan's eyes darted from Gabriella to Troy and then back to Gabriella.

"Um, Gabbi," Ryan started. "This is my boyfriend, Austin. Austin this is my friend Gabriella Montez."

Austin leaned forward and smiled as he reached out to shake Gabriella's hand. "It's nice to meet you," he said. He then leaned back on the chair and looked over at Troy before nudging Ryan and motioning for him to make another introduction.

"Oh yeah," Ryan said, blushing again. There was probably going to be an abundance of that going on today. "This is Troy Bolton. He's Gabbi's boyfriend."

Austin made a repeat performance of his handshaking with Troy. The brunet was surprised at how firm his grip was. It wasn't that Troy had some preconceived notions about gay men and their mannerisms, but, and he kind of felt bad for thinking this, but Austin didn't look like the manly man type. When he thought about it, he wasn't so surprised by the fact that Ryan was gay. He was more surprised by the fact that Gabriella wasn't surprised. He had at least known Ryan for the last, well, forever. She had just met him half way through the last school year. And if he wanted to admit to himself, he was most surprised by Ryan's choice in boyfriends. He didn't know where any of this was coming from, but it made sense. If Ryan were to date someone, he would picture the guy being more of a masculine man and less, well, Ryan-like.

Not that Ryan wasn't a guy, he was just, well, Ryan. Even in his thoughts Troy was digging himself into a hole no one would be able to get him out of, so he just shook the thoughts from his mind and brought himself back to the conversation that his girlfriend was having with the other couple.

"What are your guys' plans for today?" Gabriella asked. "Are you heading downtown to check out that new exhibit at the natural science museum?"

"Well," Austin said, looking as though he was cutting Ryan off. "As fun as that sounds, Ryan and I were planning on going to the mall downtown to do a little shopping and just hang out together. We don't get to spend a lot of time alone seeing as how he spends every waking moment of his down at his parent's club."

Ryan rolled his eyes at his boyfriend's statement. Apparently this was a conversation that the two of them had before. Troy couldn't help but chuckle. Watching the two of them interact like that was like going to the grocery store and running into one of his teachers. They all of a sudden became real people. Ryan was all of a sudden transformed from an enigmatic person he had gone to school with for as long as he could remember to a three-dimensional person with his own personal background story and feelings and everything. It was a weird moment, but Troy thought it was good. It meant that he was learning more about Ryan. And the more he learned about Ryan, the more he would understand about Gabriella. It was all a part of the process of cementing his relationship with his girlfriend. And if he were to ask himself, he would say that he was making remarkable progress today, even though he hadn't planned on it.

"What about you two?" Ryan asked. "Got any big plans for the day?"

"I'm not sure," Gabriella replied. "I don't have anything planned, but I don't know if there was anything Troy wanted to do."

Troy thought for a second and then just shrugged his shoulders. He hadn't really come to the café with any particular plans for the day. He just wanted to spend some time with his girlfriend. Yeah, that sounded about right.

"I guess that answers your question," Gabriella said, a small chuckle in her voice.

Ryan smiled back and looked as though he was about to say something when Austin nudged him in the side and made a motion for the door. "You know," he started, "If we want to get in some quality time at the mall, we should leave really soon. I don't want to have to deal with all the post lunch crowds. You know what I mean."

Ryan just nodded and then looked over at Gabriella with a lop-sided grin on his face. "Well, I guess we better be going, then," he said to his friends.

Gabriella just smiled. "Yeah, well we should be on our way, too," she said. "Come on, Troy, let's get going."

Troy just nodded dumbly and got out of his seat. He watched as Ryan got up and gave Gabriella a hug before turning to his boyfriend and grabbing his hand. Troy thought he looked a little reluctant to do so, but just shrugged it off. He didn't really know anything about their relationship, so who was he to make a judgment call like that?

When the two were at the door, Ryan turned around again to wave. Troy smiled and waved back, watching as the two blond boys walked out of the café and into the parking lot. He then turned to his girlfriend and gave her a goofy grin. "So, what are your big plans for the day?"

Gabriella just smiled at him and grabbed his hand. "Come on, you big goof," she said, giggling. "Lets go for a walk."

Troy and Gabriella walked away from the coffee shop and toward the rest of the stores in the mini mall. They walked side-by-side in silence for a few moments until Troy's curiosity got the best of him. "So," he began, "when exactly did Ryan get a boyfriend and when did he tell you that he was gay? How did I miss all of this?"

The brunette girl chuckled softly at her boyfriend's rapid fire questions. He had apparently missed a lot in regards to his friends and their changing relationships during his time with the college basketball team. "Well, from what he's told me, he's been dating Austin for a while, now," she said. "And, well, a lot happened while you were so focused on your college scholarship thing." She finished the last part with a shrug, as if to signal that life went on whether Troy knew about it or not.

Troy thought about that for a moment. He didn't like to be the last person to hear about things like this. He didn't like to be the person in the dark, and that is apparently exactly what had happened while he was off trying to secure his future. At first, he kind of resented the fact that his friends were getting so upset that he was trying to accomplish exactly what he had told them was his goal. He needed to find a way to pay for college, and if a basketball scholarship was going to do the trick, then he thought they would have at least supported him in that. When they instead began getting mad at him, he began resenting them. They probably still all wouldn't be on speaking terms if he hadn't found out that Sharpay was being such a jerk to all of them, but even that reason seemed a bit contrived, and if Troy was really honest with himself, he would admit that he still felt a little bit of resentment toward all of them.

This whole experience with Ryan and his boyfriend, however, shed a new light onto everything. It wasn't just the fact that he didn't know about what was going on, but the fact that all of his friends seemed to adapt just fine to him not being around, and that their lives just seemed to go on undeterred without him. That's what really got to him. While he was off in his own world, his girlfriend had made new friends and strengthened older friendships. Hell, she had even learned more about someone Troy had known for over a decade in the course of two weeks. Anyone would feel kind of cruddy after coming to a realization like that.

The two reached an area that kind of resembled a courtyard. There was a fountain and benches amid a grassy area and Gabriella turned to walk there. Troy dutifully followed. She led him to a bench and then sat down, sensing that he wanted to talk about some things. The two sat with a comfortable distance between the two of them, neither moving to invade the other's personal space.

"I know you have questions about stuff," Gabriella said, looking over at her boyfriend. "So why don't you go ahead and ask. I'll try to answer everything I can."

Troy looked at her a little curiously. She seemed so much more mature and comfortable with everything than he was. Not the fact that Ryan was gay or anything, but the fact that so much had changed between everyone in such a short amount of time and she wasn't even batting an eyelash. He just chalked up her coping skills to her having moved around so many times when she was younger.

"Well," Troy started out awkwardly. He hadn't really expected to have a question and answer session with her. He didn't know what he expected to have, but he knew it wasn't this. "When did you and Ryan get so close?"

"He spent a lot of time with all of us earlier this summer," she stated matter-of-factly. "What with his sister going on the rampage and kind of kicking him out of the talent show and all. I felt sorry for him, and when I started hanging out with him I started to see a different side of him. He's not at all like everyone thinks he is," she said this part pretty emphatically.

"He's a great guy and knows so much about all kinds of things," she continued, not really looking at Troy, but off into the nearby fountain. "He's not just Sharpay's little poodle, you know. He's really sweet."

"You two got awfully close really quickly," Troy said. A hint of bitterness crept into his voice and he had no idea where it came from, but it was there nonetheless.

"You have nothing to worry about there, Troy," Gabriella said. Apparently she had been able to pick up on it.

"That brings up something else," Troy said, taking the opportunity with which he was presented. "How is it that I've known Ryan for most of my life and I didn't know about this one really big thing that was just kind of sprung on me today?"

"You mean his being gay and having a boyfriend?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "That one thing that has escaped my attention as well as everyone else's."

"Actually," Gabriella cut in, "he came out to a lot of us while we were all practicing for the talent show. Pretty much everyone knows. I guess you were the last one."

"Figures," Troy muttered under his breath.

"But that doesn't matter," Gabriella cut in quickly, hoping to stem off Troy's dark comment. "What matters is that he feels comfortable telling all of us, including you. I mean, we were the first people to meet his boyfriend. "

"We were?" Troy asked, not realizing how new this whole thing was and realizing that maybe he wasn't so out of touch with the rest of his friends.

"Yeah," Gabriella replied. "We've been trying to get Ryan to bring Austin around forever, but for some reason he keeps trying to beg out of it. It took a lot of convincing to get them both here today, but I finally got him to agree even though he hadn't even come out to you yet." Then she looked thoughtful for a moment. "I guess that means he must really trust you to do something like that."

"What do you mean?" Troy asked, confused. "It's not like I've ever given him any reason to think I wouldn't be supportive."

"You've never given him any reason to be anything toward you," Gabriella said. "He took a big risk telling someone he doesn't really know that well, and I think it showed him that we'll all be accepting of him."

"Well, I'm glad I had such a good impact even though I didn't know what I was doing," Troy said, thinking that this conversation was just getting more and more awkward by the second.

Gabriella just sighed. She could tell that this wasn't going anywhere. She just wished that Troy could see that everything was going well, even if he did feel out of the loop or behind the times, or whatever kind of emotions were running through his head. Instead she just reached over and patted the top of Troy's hand that was resting on the bench.

"So," Troy said after a few moments of awkward silence. "Where do you want to go now?"

"Actually, I'm supposed to meet my mom over at the Rack in a few minutes," Gabriella said, smiling shyly. "We were going to go shopping and then out to dinner. Mother daughter bonding, you know?"

"Oh, sure," Troy said, not really knowing what to do now that he was being blown off for his girlfriend's mom. "Well, I guess I'll just see you at work tomorrow?"

"Sure," Gabriella said as she got up from the bench. "I'll see you there." Before she had a chance to turn and walk away, Troy got up and grabbed her hand to keep her facing him and then crushed his lips to hers. He kept them there for a few seconds before pulling back. Gabriella just looked at him for a second, showing just how surprised she was by the gesture before smiling lop-sidedly at him. "I'll see you tomorrow, Troy."

And with that, she was off. Troy stood there for a second before sitting back down on the bench. He still didn't get it. That kiss was just as awkward as the first, it just wasn't quite as prolonged. The Universe: 2, Troy: 0.

HSM•••HSM

Ryan was walking the sidewalks of downtown Albuquerque, watching as Austin stopped in front of random storefront window displays and admired some of the summer fashions. He really wasn't too thrilled to be out doing this, but he _had_ promised Austin he would go and do something with him today. He just wished it was something a little more interesting. Something he wouldn't have done with his sister.

He had gone without any complaints when Austin dragged him into Chashmans, but that had been over two hours ago and Ryan was getting ready club Austin over the head and drag him back to the car so he could take him home. Unfortunately, Austin hadn't really cottoned on to that fact yet and was still obliviously going from display window to display window, pointing out things that Ryan couldn't possibly care less about.

"What do you think of those polo shirts?" Austin asked, pulling Ryan from his musings. "I think the cut is really nice, but they totally should have gone with a different color palette. Secondary colors were so last season."

"Oh, uh, yeah," Ryan said, not really caring, but offering up an answer so as to appease his boyfriend. "Last season, for sure."

Austin turned away from the window to face the other blond boy, finally recognizing the tone of Ryan's voice as one of barely concealed disinterest. "You know, Ryan," he started. "We don't have to be doing this. If you'd offer up a suggestion ever now and again we could do something that you want to do and not always have to do something like this."

"But you like doing this," Ryan rebutted.

"But I know you don't," Austin replied, walking away from the window and over to stand right next to his boyfriend. "I thought we were both going to put more effort into all of this since we've taken our relationship to the next level."

Ryan groaned internally. He hated it when anyone say that, and listening to his boyfriend say it out in the middle of downtown for the whole world to hear. "Look," he said, "I know you like this and I didn't really have anything planned for today, so I thought I'd just hang around with you."

Austin looked contemplative for a moment, then his expression softened and he smiled at Ryan. He slung his arm around Ryan's waist and began walking away from their latest stop on the fashion tour of downtown. They walked in silence for a few moments before Austin started back up. "It was nice meeting your friends today," he said. "It's too bad we couldn't have spent more time with them at the coffee shop."

"We could have," Ryan started irritably, "if you weren't so insistent that we get down here as soon as you walked through the café doors."

"You know how I don't like battling the crowds, Ry," he said, not picking up on Ryan's foul mood in regards to the situation.

"You're the one who keeps making such a big stink about me not wanting to introduce you to my friends, even though I've explained time and time again that I really haven't had many to introduce you to before now," he said, getting into rant mode. "And when I finally do decide to introduce you to one of my closest friends, you just decide that going window shopping is more important. Not to mention the fact that I hadn't even told Troy I was gay before I sprung everything on him today."

"You seem awfully concerned with Troy," Austin said, completely missing the point of what Ryan was trying to get across. "Should I be worried?"

Ryan stopped walking like that, causing Austin to jerk back a bit, seeing as how his arm was still around his boyfriend's waist. He threw a nasty glare Austin's way before he started speaking. "Of course not," he spat. "He's straighter than straight. I just didn't want to spring something like that on him. You know how some people can be."

"Well," Austin said, taking a deep breath. "From what I saw, he took things just fine, so there was nothing to worry about. Which just goes to show that you should start introducing me to more of your friends. Think about it, the more of your friends I get to know, the more we'll have in common and the closer we'll be to one another."

Ryan gave Austin a weak smile. "Well," he said. "I'm introducing them to you as fast I am coming out to them."

That seemed to satisfy Austin and he brought himself closer to Ryan before leaning down to place a soft kiss on Ryan's lips. He pulled away and watched his boyfriend blush. He thought it was because of the passion he had stirred in him; he didn't realize it was more because Ryan was uncomfortable with public displays of affection.

As the two continued walking down the sidewalk, Ryan continued thinking. So what if what he said to Austin was a little stretching of the truth. He'd come out to all of his friends, he refused to live a lie in regards to them, but then, why would he choose to act this way with Austin and let him believe that the two were blissfully in love when Ryan really didn't know what, if anything he felt for the other boy. It seemed as though he was living his life according to one set of standards, but another part by a completely different set. It didn't really sit well with him, but, he reasoned, it was better than living a life all by himself.

He also wasn't necessarily ready to admit that he was completely okay with public displays of affection, he just wasn't to thrilled about them being with Austin. Usually, he would take that as a hint that maybe, just maybe, he shouldn't be in a relationship with that person, but again, he was faced with that whole being with someone or being alone. And he'd still rather be with someone. Even if he wasn't over the moon for him.

He took a moment to look at Austin as they continued walking in silence. He really did like Austin as a person. He wasn't mean, and he generally was very witty and fun to be around. He was also really attractive. That might have sounded a bit shallow, but he would be lying if he said that looks didn't matter at all to him.

'Whatever,' he thought to himself. He was probably just really frustrated because of the whole Troy situation being sprung on him today. Yeah, that was it. He just wasn't prepared to introduce his current boyfriend to his longtime one-sided crush. It wasn't a bad thing to be dating someone and still harbor a crush on someone else, was it? Ugh. Relationships were so confusing.

HSM•••HSM

Troy had been lying on his bed for the last half hour. He hadn't stayed at the mall for more than five minutes after he and Gabriella had gone their separate ways. He didn't really want to stick around and think about the second most awkward kiss in all recorded history, and staying there wouldn't have helped him in that pursuit.

He didn't even know what possessed him to reach out and kiss her as she was walking away. He could have kicked himself for it. It was obviously spur of the moment and not planned at all. If he really wanted to impress her, he had to make sure that things were planned out just right.

He threw his hands over his eyes and let out a deep sigh. He couldn't figure this whole thing out. He didn't understand why this whole relationship thing was turning out to be so incredibly crummy. He'd never had this happen to him before. Whatever he'd put his mind to, he'd been able to pull off with only a modicum of stress and will power. Just take the winter musical, for instance. Sure, he'd been sabotaged by his friends, but after they had sorted that out, all he had to do was rehearse with Kelsi and Gabriella. He didn't even have to take too much time away from his studies or his basketball schedule.

Now, here he was in the summer. No classes, no basketball. All he had to do was go and teach annoying little kids how to swing a golf club at a swanky resort. He was putting all of his mental and social acuities into this relationship business and he was still drawing a blank on how to make it work. He just kept coming up with awkward kisses and back and forth conversations with his subconscious. None of which was actually helping him with the problem at hand.

He had never really put so much thought into something and still seriously contemplated calling it quits. There had to be a way to be in a relationship and not spend so much time thinking about how to make it better.

But he just couldn't get over the fact that he had already put so much effort into it. He couldn't just admit defeat and admit that he had failed. He didn't like failing. And even if those weren't the most chivalrous of reasons for continuing a relationship, it made sense to Troy. He'd just have to continue trying. Besides, he really liked Gabriella. She was his opposite; she complimented him in many ways and she was fun to be around. She was insightful and often helped Troy with many issues he faced.

Troy then rolled over on his bed and buried his face in his pillow. He'd just stay the course and continue thinking of ways to better his relationship. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

**A/N: Well, I must have been incredibly inspired because this just seemed to flow out. I'm glad to be getting more into the heart of the story rather than just setting things up now. There will be a lot more of the rest of the characters in the next chapter and I'm really looking forward to that because I haven't had the opportunity to write them very much as of yet.**

**I also wanted to send a great big thanks to everyone who continued to read and review the last chapter. I hope you all enjoy this one. Please read and review … continue the inspiration! I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend and that you all have a good week.**

**I hope you all enjoy the newest chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Ryan was sitting on one of the lounges near the pool at Lava Springs. It was the early evening, the sun was setting and the air was cooling. Ryan's hat, which normally sat atop his head, was sitting on a table next to the lounge. He was wearing a swimsuit and white t-shirt. His eyes were closed and his hands resting behind his head. He hadn't even been particularly busy that day, but it was still nice to just sit outside and relax. Seeing how the sun was setting, he didn't run the risk of getting a sunburn either. And taking into account the porcelain nature of his skin, this was for the best.

He had dozed off for a moment, but was brought out of it when he heard the rustling of some clothing next to him. He opened one eye and smiled when he saw the telltale hair of the one and only Chad Danforth sitting in the lounge next to him. The two of them had become fast friends after the staff baseball game a few weeks back. He had even started to give Chad dance lessons in private. It was funny, actually; for all the show he put on about not liking or being able to dance, he was actually very good. Whoever the girl was he decided to take to senior prom was going to have the time of her life.

"Did you just get off work?" Ryan asked, opening both his eyes and stretching his arms and legs.

"Yeah," the curly-haired boy replied. "And then I saw you sitting out by the pool and I thought to myself, 'hey, maybe I can sneak up and toss him in.' It would have been funny."

"It would have been," Ryan agreed. "That is, until I got out and told Sharpay what you had done. Then who would have had the last laugh?"

"Oh, pulling out the Sharpay card," Chad said, laughing slightly. "A wise choice. I guess it's for the best that I decided I was too tired to throw you in."

"Too tired?" Ryan asked. "Was Fulton being a hard ass again?"

"When is the guy not?" Chad retorted. "I swear, if he hadn't taken this job he would have had a good run in the military."

Ryan laughed. Fulton could be a little intense and he could sometimes forget that most of the employees were just high school students looking to make a quick buck, but he was good at what he did. No one could argue that. And if he was honest with himself, Sharpay didn't exactly help Fulton's image with her tyrannical play to win Troy's affections earlier this summer.

"What are your plans for the evening?" Ryan asked. "You're not planning on sticking around her, are you?"

"Nah," Chad said, leaning back to relax a little more on the lounge. "I'm going to dinner with Taylor later, but I have some free time. What about you?"

"I don't know," Ryan said. "I'll probably just go home and hang out. There are a few things I need to get done there."

"Get done?" Chad asked, laughing a bit. "What could you possibly have to do? It's summer. Aren't you supposed to be carefree and all that stuff?"

"Do I need to remind you with whom I live? Sharpay isn't exactly the carefree type," Ryan said. "Besides, I enjoy hanging around with my parents, and my house isn't exactly the most boring place to be."

Chad just nodded. Ryan did have a point. But still, it just didn't seem right for an almost senior in high school to be spending a Friday evening at home with his parents, regardless of how much there was to do there. He would have whisked the blond away from his home, but he had his date with Taylor, and as much as he like Ryan, he liked Taylor more.

The two continued to sit in a companionable silence for several minutes, the only sounds being those of the rustling foliage, and soon, another pair of footsteps. Ryan, who had since closed his eyes again, opened one just in time to see Troy walk up to he and Chad. He felt his pulse begin to quicken, an annoying side effect of having an unrequited crush on the guy for the last who knows how many years. Troy had not yet noticed Ryan looking at him, so Ryan closed them and waited for Chad to make a move. He didn't know why he always acted so awkward around his crush, and maybe that was the reason the two had never really become friends.

Sure, they never ran in the same circles, but look at him and Chad. They hadn't been friends either and all it took was a baseball game to bring the two together. If he couldn't be in a romantic relationship with Troy, the least he could do was befriend him, and for that, he'd have to shove his emotions to the back burner, at least until it didn't seem so hard to do so. And then maybe, just maybe, his relationship with Austin could go back to something that resembled a normal relationship.

He resolved to put his emotions for the time being and work to build a friendship with Troy. But still, he'd let Chad start off for the evening. But he'd give the old Evans try and bring on the charm. He was good at that.

"Hey Troy," Ryan heard Chad say, apparently it was now safe to open his eyes.

"Hey guys," Troy said. "What are you two up to?"

"Not much," Chad responded. "I was about to leave, but I saw Evans here relaxing by the pool and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to bug him."

"I could just have you removed from the property, you know that, Danforth?" Ryan said, a smile in his voice.

"But then you'd be denying yourself the pleasure of my company," Chad said. "And why would you want to do that?

"Because I'm a glutton for punishment?" Ryan said, laughing as Chad leaned over to his lounge to punch him playfully in the arm. Then Ryan turned his gaze to the brunet standing in front of them. "How was your day, Troy? I can't imagine that it would be nearly as grueling or stressful as our dear Mr. Danforth's. Or did Sharpay have another private golf lesson?"

Troy laughed. "Nothing that terrifying," he said. "But I swear, those kids are aiming their golf balls at me and not at the shooting range."

A retort to that comment sprang to Ryan's lips, but he felt it best if he not say something regarding Troy's beautiful body and not being able to keep their eyes off of it. It probably wouldn't do much in the way of not making things awkward between the three of them. Instead, he just laughed.

"Better the kids' golf balls than Sharpay's claws, right?" Chad asked, laughing and leaning over to high five his best friend.

"Oh come on, you guys," Ryan protested. "She's really not that bad. She was just … smitten with you," he finished, giving Troy a knowing glance. "She's not used to having to work for what she wants, and she's even more unused to not getting what she wants."

Troy blushed. It was awkward when people talked about him like that; like he was a prize for which to be fought. It was one thing to know that he was popular, it was another to know that people pined after him; that he was lusted after. In all actuality, the star basketball player didn't quite know how to react to all of it, which was clearly evident through his interactions with Sharpay before the talent competition.

"You're her brother," Chad said, cutting off whatever it was that Troy could have said. "You have to say stuff like that."

"No," Ryan said again. "I know when my sister lets her ambition get the best of her, and I know when she pisses people off. But that doesn't change the fact that she's good at what she does, she's very protective of who she cares for and she's determined to get what she wants."

The three boys just sat there for several moments, none of them really wanting to speak more about Sharpay. Chad just sat back in his lounge and looked contemplative for several moments. He looked like he was about to shut his eyes like he had before Troy had arrived, but then jerked forward and took a look at his watch. "Oh my gosh," he said quickly. "I have to get going."

"He's got a date with Taylor," Ryan said when he noticed Troy's confused look. "He probably has to go home and make himself look presentable." Troy just nodded in understanding.

"I have to be at her place in 45 minutes and I still haven't showered," Chad said, getting up from the lounge and standing in front of his two friends.

"Then what are you still doing here?" Ryan asked. "Hurry up and go, or you're going to stink and Taylor is never going to go on another date, and then I'll have to spend more time with you."

Chad just laughed and waved as he began quickly jogging toward the parking lot, promising to call both Troy and Ryan later. Ryan laughed at their curly-haired friend and relaxed back in his seat. The two boys sat in relative silence for a few more moments, not knowing what to say to the other.

Troy was about to get up and beg off for the evening when he heard Ryan's soft voice. "You're a good guy, you know that?" he asked. Troy just turned to give the blond a questioning look. Ryan noticed and continued his explanation. "Most people would have just shunned Sharpay or tried to publicly humiliate her for what she did earlier this summer. But not you."

"Well, I—uh," Troy stuttered out. He really didn't know what to say in response. He raised his hand and dragged it through his hair in a sign of frustration.

Ryan, recognizing the brunet's state, just smiled and shook his head. "You don't need to say anything. I just wanted to let you know that if my sister had to make a fool out of herself in front of someone, I'm glad it was someone who is as good a person as you."

"Uh, thanks," Troy said as his cheeks heated. Ryan just continued smiling, but leaned back against his lounge, looking out at the beautiful landscape before him. Seeing the juxtaposition of the green, manicured grass of the golf course against the dry, dusty desert never ceased to amaze him. He could look at it forever.

The two of them sat for a while longer, neither one talking to the other, Ryan focusing on the scenery, while Troy's thoughts centered on the blond sitting next to him.

That had probably been the most in-depth conversation he had ever had with Ryan, and not including the awkward way he responded to Ryan's compliment, it had been surprisingly easy to engage in fun banter with him. Troy's thoughts then drifted back to the last weekend when he met Gabriella and Ryan at the coffee shop. He had never expected to have his first conversation with the blond to involve his coming out, but all things considered, it went well. Troy figured he would have been a bit more jarred by the declaration, but he found that it didn't really change his opinion of Ryan whatsoever. That might have also had to do with the fact that he didn't know Ryan that well at all anyway.

He turned his head to glance at the blond who was still looking off into the distance. He had never taken the time to actually see Ryan. They had gone to school for as long as he could remember. Sure, he saw Ryan almost daily and now he even worked for his parents, but he had never actually taken the time to really look at the quieter half of East High's dramatic duo.

Ryan was a nice guy, and unlike his sister, it seemed he was able to win over people with his unassuming demeanor and his ability to make others feel comfortable around him. Troy noticed that while Sharpay usually had a calculating demeanor, Ryan looked relaxed and content with himself. He chuckled as he thought about how he could have probably used someone like Ryan as a friend last year when all of the drama of auditions and basketball was in full swing.

That chuckle brought Ryan out of his reverie and he turned to look at the boy sitting next to him. Troy offered a smile, which Ryan readily returned.

"Well," Ryan started, shifting himself and moving to get up. "I need to get going, and I'm sure you have plans for tonight."

"Oh yeah," Troy said, caught a little off guard. He was actually enjoying just sitting there with Ryan. He hadn't expected it to come to such a quick end. "I guess I should be going, too."

The two stood up and looked at each other for a moment before Ryan offered another smile. "It was nice hanging out with you. We should do it again."

Troy smiled back. "Yeah, we should."

With that, Ryan gave the basketball a quick wave before turning and heading into the clubhouse. Troy stood out by the pool for another minute, thinking about how he really would enjoy hanging out with the blond singer more often. He smiled to himself and began walking toward his car.

HSM•••HSM

After leaving the club, Troy called Gabriella. The two chit-chatted while Troy drove home, eventually deciding to see a movie later that evening. Troy went home and showered and changed, sitting down with his parents just long enough to shove a few pieces of pizza in his mouth before begging off to go pick up his girlfriend.

As he drove to the brunette's house, he thought about the possible movies they could see. He really didn't mind what they saw, but he was hoping Gabriella would defy history and pick something other than a chick-flick. Even if she did stick with her normal pattern, however, Troy had decided to put up a brave front and not complain, not even if the plot got entirely too sappy and saccharine. He would just focus on the tub of popcorn. He just needed this date to work out.

Eventually, he pulled in front of Gabriella's house. She was already sitting out on the porch waiting for him, so he didn't even have to stop the car and get out. He watched as she got up and walked to his truck. He leaned over and pushed the door handle to open the door, since it couldn't be opened from the outside.

Gabriella chuckled as she climbed into the truck and plopped down on the worn leather bench. "I swear, Troy," she started. "One of these days the axel is going to fall off this thing and you'll walk into the parking lot at work to find four wheels laying on the ground next to this cabin."

"Yeah, well, until that happens I'll just keep on hoping that the super glue my dad I used holds out," he replied with a cheeky grin. He knew Gabriella was never too thrilled to be riding in his truck, but it was better than having their parents drive them around.

Gabriella just rolled her eyes and strapped herself in, preparing for the ride to the theater.

They arrived at the local multiplex in no time, and before Troy had any time to register what was going on, he had already bought two tickets to the latest Kate Hudson romantic comedy, made his way through the snack line and found he and Gabriella seats in the theater.

It was one of those new places, with the stadium seating and the armrests that could be lifted to create a type of loveseat. Needless to say, Gabriella had immediately lifted the median that separated them and cuddled into Troy's side. The basketball star just sat there with the tub of popcorn and waited for the previews to start. He knew he should probably have been talking to his girlfriend, but he honestly couldn't think of anything to say. It didn't look like Gabriella was upset, however, so Troy just let it go.

When the lights dimmed, he felt Gabriella snuggle in closer to his side, so he thought it would be the perfect opportunity for him to return the favor. He raised one arm and in what he thought was a very suave, subtle move, placed it around her shoulders. She just looked up at him and rolled her eyes. "You are so corny sometimes, you know that?" she asked.

Troy blushed, but the dark theater made possible the fact that he could save face in front of the other couples who were also populating the room.

The previews began rolling and, of course, it seemed that the only other movies being advertised were also romantic comedies. After several of them finished, one came on that caught Gabriella's interest and she leaned over to whisper how the two of them would definitely have to see it when it came out. Troy mentally groaned. He could have really gone for a good shoot-em-up movie right about then, but he didn't let Gabriella know that's what he was thinking.

As the beginning credits began, Troy removed his arm from around his girlfriend's shoulders so that he could grab the soda he had set on the ground in between his feet seeing as how his other arm was already full with the popcorn. 'Stupid armrests not having cup holders,' he thought to himself as he took a drink and then set the large container back on the ground. He looked over and saw that Gabriella was already entranced by the movie and didn't attempt to put his arm back around her.

The movie continued on and about half way through Troy felt as though he would only be doing himself a favor if he took the straw out of his cup and jabbed it in his eyes. The movie was ridiculous. He couldn't imagine why two people who obviously had absolutely nothing in common would try so damn hard to make a relationship work. It was beyond his comprehension.

He looked back over at Gabriella and saw that she had tears in her eyes. Apparently it was a very poignant scene. It made him want to vomit. He leaned down to Gabriella, "I'm going to bathroom," he whispered. "I'll be right back."

When she didn't respond and instead continued to look at the screen, Troy shrugged and got up from his seat quietly. He made his way through the row and past several disgruntled couples. He couldn't bring himself to care. He finally got to the aisle and walked down toward the exit and then down the hallway leading toward the bathroom. The only other person in the hallway was some poor sap who got hired to sweep up the popcorn dumped by clumsy or careless moviegoers. He stared at Troy, just waiting, daring him to sneak into another theater. The kid was letting what little power he did have go to his head. Troy just rolled his eyes.

He made his way into the bathroom and over to the first available stall. There were always three stalls next to one another in the bathroom, something Troy found incredibly awkward. Everyone knew that you never used the middle urinal. You just didn't. It was bathroom etiquette. But still, in every bathroom he'd ever been in, there were three urinals. And even though there was no one else in the restroom, Troy dutifully followed protocol and went to one of the side urinals, just in case someone else walked in.

No one else did come into the restroom while he was there. Apparently everyone else was enjoying the sappy love-fest of a movie that was playing. That, or their girlfriends actually picked a movie that both of them would want to see and were thereby holding their rebelling bladders in submission.

After washing and drying his hands, he made his way back out into the hallway. The popcorn sweeper was nowhere to be seen. 'Must have had a soda emergency back at base,' Troy thought to himself. He walked back into the theater and past the disgruntled couples yet again and reclaimed his seat next to his girlfriend.

He tried not to be too elated when the end credits finally rolled and the lights were raised. He didn't get out of his seat too quickly and he let Gabriella walk out of the theater at a leisurely pace. He even made the appropriate noises when she talked about the movie to make it seem as though he had actually paid attention to it and didn't spend the whole time counting the kernels of popcorn on the ground that the popcorn sweeper guy had obviously missed after the previous showing of the movie.

He counted 153. But he had lost count a few times so he wasn't really sure how accurate his final tally would be.

Troy got to his truck and hopped in, leaning over and pushing the door open so Gabriella could get in, too. He slammed his door shut and then revved the engine. It didn't start on the first try, but it eventually caught and they found themselves on the road.

Gabriella continued yammering on about the movie and Troy, bless his soul, tried to feign interest, but it was getting really difficult. He almost cheered when he pulled into Gabriella's driveway, but thought better of it at the last moment. He put the truck into park and sat, staring forward for a moment. Gabriella did the same. He looked over at her and gave an awkward half-smile, which she returned.

"Well, I should get inside," Gabriella said. "My mom is probably standing at the front window watching us right now."

"Yeah," Troy said, trailing off after that. The two leaned in, Troy extending his hands while Gabriella puckered up. When they saw what the other was doing, they switched so that Troy was puckered up and Gabriella was extending her arms. Gabriella then pulled back and chuckled softly to herself before leaning forward and giving Troy a quick peck on the cheek.

"I'll see you later, Troy," she said before shoving the door open and hopping out of the truck.

Troy watched as she walked up to the front door of her house. Just like she had predicted, her mother was at the door waiting for her. She let Gabriella into the house and then looked out to Troy, who gave her a small smile and a wave. Once the door to the house shut, Troy let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding.

That date was a flop. It was such a miserable failure that Troy didn't even think it could be called a date. It should really have gone down in the annals of history as one of the worst non-dates ever. Troy sighed. This whole relationship thing was really starting to annoy him.

HSM•••HSM

"Don't you think this should be a bit more upbeat?" Ryan asked his friend, his sawed-off Sondheim. The two had been sitting in one of the practice rooms at the country club for quite some time now, just working away on a new song. No, there wasn't any impending talent show and, no, Kelsi wasn't planning a new musical for the school year, she just liked writing music. She especially liked writing it with Ryan. He just brought a different perspective to the work that made it even better in the end.

"I don't know," she replied, looking at the notes and chords they had written across the music sheet. "I know you and Sharpay like things to be more bouncy, but I don't know if that's right for this song."

"This has absolutely nothing to do with Sharpay," Ryan retorted, knowing that Sharpay usually had Kelsi's songs transposed into something resembling bubble-gum pop, but that wasn't his style. "I just don't think that love songs always have to be so slow, people in love don't always think ballad, they could just as easily want something bouncy and fun."

Kelsi's forehead wrinkled in concentration before she let out a soft sigh. "Why don't we just keep it at this tempo for now?" she suggested. "Then we can come and revisit it when we have a better feel for the whole thing."

Ryan just raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, whatever you say," he said. "But I'll bet you money we'll be back revising the tempo later, and then you'll be asking yourself, 'Gee, Kelsi, why didn't I listen to Ryan earlier?'"

"Well," Kelsi started, turning away from the piano to give Ryan an amused smile, "seeing as how I don't talk about or to myself in the third person I don't think I'll be running into that problem. But we'll see about the tempo."

"And the bet?" Ryan queried.

"Like you need anymore money," Kelsi rebutted. "Why don't you just give me 10 and we'll call it good?"

Ryan laughed as he turned back toward the piano, planning on getting back to work. When he noticed that Kelsi wasn't turning back, he glanced over his shoulder and saw that she was staring over by the main lobby. He took his eyes off her and craned his neck so that he could see what she was looking at. What he saw made his eyes widen. "Shit," he muttered under his breath. Austin was at the front desk, more than likely enquiring as to where Ryan was.

Kelsi, who heard Ryan's quiet outburst turned to give her friend a curious look. That movement caught Austin's eye who then turned his gaze on the two friends in the practice room. His mouth spread into a smile as he began walking toward his boyfriend.

"Ryan!" Austin exclaimed. "I've been trying to get the people at the check-in desk to find you for the last five minutes. I don't think that girl really knows what's going on around here. She couldn't tell me anything. I don't even know if she knew who you are."

"Austin," Ryan said as he got up from the piano bench, leaving Kelsi to stare at the two boys, not really knowing what was going on. "Why didn't you tell me you would be stopping by? I would have waited for you out front."

"Can't a guy come and surprise his boyfriend every now and again?" Austin asked, giving Ryan a quick peck on the lips.

Kelsi's eyebrows shot up into her hairline at that small gesture. She had known Ryan was gay for a long time. She probably knew before Ryan did, but he had never told her about having a boyfriend, and even though he still hadn't technically told her, it wasn't everyday that another teenage guy came in and kissed Ryan on the lips. It was safe to say she was very interested.

"Uh, Kelsi," Ryan said, turning away from Austin. "This is Austin, my boyfriend. Austin, this is Kelsi, one of my oldest friends."

"It's nice to meet you," Austin said, moving over to shake Kelsi's hand. The curly-haired girl reached out and grasped his hand. It wasn't much of a shake, but Kelsi let it slide. "Ryan's been holding out on introducing me to all of his friends, so I figured I'd force his hand by showing up unexpectedly."

Kelsi just nodded, not really expecting Ryan's boyfriend, whom she had just met moments ago to go into such detail about why he had just dropped in. She looked over to Ryan to see that a frown had settled itself on his usually impassive face.

"Well," Ryan said, taking Austin's attention away from Kelsi, "we were just working on a song, and everyone else is working, so now really isn't the best time to meet people."

"It's no problem," Austin said, moving over toward one of the armchairs in the practice room. "I'll just sit around and listen to you guys practice. It'll be fun."

"We're not really practicing," Kelsi piped in. "We're composing a new piece."

"Yeah," Ryan said, jumping onto the one thing that could probably convince his boyfriend to leave. "You won't really be able to hear much except for the few different chords we play while we pick out how the song will progress. And I don't think you'd really be entertained by our arguing over what the tempo of the song should be."

Ryan knew he was grasping at straws here, but the club was the one place where he truly felt like the master of his surroundings, and Austin showing up like this threw him off his game. He needed to get him out of there, and fast.

"Well," Austin started, looking as though he wasn't thrilled with the prospect of being bored, but still wanting to stay, "how long do you think you'll be working on this new song?"

"Not really sure," Ryan said, looking to Kelsi for some moral support. She just stared at Ryan until he gave her a look that said she had better agree with him.

"Oh yeah," she said quickly. "It could be a really long time." She put just the right emphasis on really to make Ryan smile inwardly.

"Oh," Austin said, clearly disappointed. "Well, I don't want to keep you from your music." He began getting up for the chair he had just sat down in, and Ryan felt relief wash over him.

"Here," he said, reaching out for his boyfriend's arm. "I'll walk you out to the door."

The two walked out of the practice room and into the lobby. They stopped at the main doors and Ryan leaned in to give his boyfriend a quick kiss on the cheek. Austin smiled at him. "Since we can't hang out right now, why don't you plan on coming to my house for dinner sometime this week?" he suggested. "My parents have been dying to meet you, and seeing as how you have spent the night at our house, you should probably meet them anyway."

Ryan blushed at the mention of the time he spent the night with Austin, but nodded his head. "That sounds like a good idea," he said, then cast a quick glance back at Kelsi, who was still watching them. "I better get back to practicing."

"Okay," Austin said. "I'll see you later, babe."

Ryan watched as Austin walked back out to his car. As soon as the door shut, he hurried back to the practice room and plopped down on the bench next to his friend.

"So," Kelsi started, "when were you planning on telling me about your having a boyfriend? And how long have you been dating him? I told you the day I started dating Jason and I feel like you've been seeing this Austin guy for way longer than a day."

"I—uh," Ryan started. He really didn't want to talk about Austin right now. "I'm sorry?"

"Sure you are," Kelsi replied. "Now, spill."

Resigned to his fate, Ryan began telling Kelsi about his relationship. "I've been seeing him for a while," he started. "We met each other through our dance studio. We had a lot in common and it just seemed to make sense that we start dating."

"It made sense?" Kelsi asked. "Talk about a match made in heaven. Forgive me if I don't take you advice when it comes to love songs anymore."

"Oh give me a break," Ryan said, turning away from Kelsi and toward the piano.

"No seriously," Kelsi continued. "If the only reason you're in a relationship with him is because it makes sense, then that's just sad. You should be in a relationship with someone because you can't think of anything else better than what you share with that other person, not because you have a lot in common, or because you can't think of anything else to do."

Ryan sighed. She had just said everything that had been running through his head regarding Austin. He hated it when someone did that. Especially when it made him feel even more like a heel than he already did. "Can we just get back to the song?" he asked.

"Whatever you say," Kelsi replied. "But don't you think it's kind of weird that you two are so much alike? It kind of freaks me out."

Ryan just took a piece of sheet music and slapped her upside the head with it. Then the two got right back to work.

HSM•••HSM

Ryan sat out by the pool later that evening. The sun had already set and the minimal outside lighting combined with the underwater lighting of the pool created the perfect environment for Ryan to reflect upon everything that had been happening regarding his relationship and Austin. He had ordered dinner earlier and was now just waiting for it to arrive.

"You know," a voice off to the side said, "thinking so hard could cause you to lose your appetite."

Ryan turned to find Zeke standing a few feet away with a tray in his hand. It figured. Staffing was usually lower in the evening, so he shouldn't have been surprised that Zeke would be the one delivering dinner. That kid was spending every waking moment in the country club's kitchen. He either really wanted to be a chef or he was _really_ infatuated with Sharpay.

He laughed and motioned for Zeke to come over. "Why don't you come over and sit a spell," Ryan suggested. "They can't possibly be too busy in the kitchen. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one still here."

Zeke returned the laugh and made his way over to the blond. He set down Ryan's dinner tray on the table next to the lounge and took a seat at the foot of Ryan's chair.

"So," Ryan started, "you sure seem to be enjoying your summer job. How's the chef treating you? He's not running you into the ground, is he?"

"Nah," Zeke replied. "He's really cool actually. And he always gives me the stuff that Sharpay orders so that I can deliver it to her."

A smile crossed Ryan's face as he saw Zeke's eyes light up. "You sure do like her, don't you?" he asked.

"You have no idea," Zeke said. "The problem is, I don't think she even knows I exist. She knows about my cooking, but other than that, she seems to be totally stuck on Troy."

"I don't think you have to worry about that anymore," Ryan said. "I think she's put Troy behind her, and I know she has a soft spot for you. Just keep at it and I'm sure things will work in your favor."

"You really think so?" Zeke asked, seemingly encouraged at the prospect of winning over Sharpay.

The two settled into a comfortable silence as Ryan began picking at his dinner. That silence, however, didn't last for long. "So," Zeke said, "I saw that guy who came to visit you today. What was that all about? You looked like you couldn't get him out of the club fast enough."

"Oh, him," Ryan said, blushing at having his ulterior motives having been discerned so easily by someone who hadn't even heard their conversation. "His name is Austin. He's my boyfriend. I just wasn't expecting him and was kind of busy with Kels."

"Are you sure that's it?" Zeke asked. "I didn't hear what you were all saying, but it looked like you just wanted him gone. I'm surprised you said he was your boyfriend after how you treated him."

Damn. Ryan hadn't been expecting that one.

"Shouldn't you be questioning me more about the fact that I have a boyfriend rather than how I treated him?" Ryan asked, somewhat taken aback by how Zeke was taking all of this.

Zeke just laughed. "No offense, Ry," he said, "but you're not exactly the most straight acting person I've ever met. I've had my suspicions for a long time now, but it was never my place to just ask you about it."

"Oh, well," Ryan started, not really knowing where he was going with that. "Thanks?"

"No problem," Zeke said. "Now, let's get back to Sharpay and how I can win her over. Do you think I should bake more stuff or just try winning her over with my stunning personality?"

The two laughed and continued talking for a while, Zeke continually prodding Ryan to eat more of the food on his plate rather than just picking at it. It was weird how things just happened in the life of a high school student. One day you could be walking in the shadow of your sister, no one knowing anything about you, the next, everyone was interested in what you were doing and wanting to talk to you about your life. Ryan smiled as he thought he could get used to this "having friends" business.

**A/N: I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update, but the beginning of this semester was a lot more hectic than I thought it would be. I'm really going to try to get things out more frequently in the future. **

**I know things are slow going right now, in terms of plot development, but I promise things will begin to pick up. I really wanted the chance to bring more of the characters out in this chapter and I hope you all enjoyed it. I've decided I really like Kelsi's character and I'm going to see how much I can put her in here. **

**I want to give a great big thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. If I haven't gotten back to you yet, I'll be doing so shortly! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and that you drop me a note. All reviews and constructive criticism are welcome! **


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

Troy pushed open the door into the kitchen, ready to check out of the time clock. Today had not been the best day, the kids—well, that's what they said they were, even though Troy was convinced they were little demons parading around as human children—had been relentless today. If he didn't know any better he'd say they were little Sharpay clones just waiting to grow into their own, and who better to practice on than the one and only Troy Bolton.

But all that was in the past. He was only working a half-day and now that he was finished, he was going home to enjoy a nice relaxing afternoon numbing his mind by watching television and eating junk. Basketball and working out be damned, he was going to personify the term couch potato this afternoon. He managed to get through the kitchen, dodging the staff, swipe his card and make his way back out into the restaurant without running into anyone who could put a damper on his plans for total laziness. He was so close to the main doors, he could almost taste the freedom that waited on the other side.

And then he ran straight into someone. It resembled somewhat of a head-on collision, the two people running headlong into one another and then falling sprawled out on the floor. He probably would have laughed if he hadn't been involved.

Troy shook his head and regained his bearings, wanting to tell off the person who'd run into him, because Troy Bolton never runs into anyone. He looked across from him just in time to see Ryan sit up and look over in his direction. The blond blushed and all of Troy's frustration flew out of his mind. Troy averted his gaze and looked toward the ground where he saw that Ryan's green and white argyle baseball cap was lying next to his hand. He reached for it and then looked back up to Ryan who was now trying to save face by straightening himself and getting up from the ground.

Troy followed suit and stood, holding out Ryan's hat so that he could take it. "I think you dropped something," he said, a light smile gracing his lips.

"Thanks," Ryan said, grabbing the hat from Troy and brushing it off before placing it back on his head. "I'm sorry about running into you; I can be such a klutz sometimes. I really should pay more attention to where I'm going. I—"

"Whoa, whoa," Troy interrupted, holding his hands out, motioning Ryan to stop. "You don't have to apologize. I was in just as much of a hurry and not paying any attention."

"Oh, do you have somewhere to be?" Ryan asked. "I don't want to hold you up or anything. The last thing you need is for Fulton to be all over your case."

"Don't worry," Troy said, thinking it was cute that Ryan was so worried about him getting in trouble with Fulton and the way he was running at the mouth was an endearing trait. "I was just one my way out. I only work a half day today and was planning on being lazy for the rest of it."

"Oh," Ryan said, catching himself for rambling on again. "I'll just let you go then."

"Okay," Troy said, turning on his heel. "I'll see you later," he added, throwing it over his shoulder as he walked away.

"Unless," Ryan said, causing Troy to stop in his tracks just as he reached the door. When Ryan saw that he had the brunet's attention, he took a step forward. "Unless you wanted to play a round of golf with me. That's where I was headed when we ran into each other. I was going to play by myself, but since you have nothing to do …" Ryan trailed off, leaving Troy to pick up what he was implying.

Troy was torn. He really was looking forward to spending an afternoon doing absolutely nothing, but playing a round of golf sounded like fun, especially since it would give him the time to get to know Ryan, who was growing on him, just a little bit better. "I don't have my clubs here," Troy said, realizing that he was missing a big piece of the game.

"Don't worry," Ryan said. If that was the only protest Troy had to the round, he would be glad to sidestep it. "I have a few sets here. You can pick one out and then we can be on our way."

Troy turned around to briefly look out the front door toward his car, but then turned back to Ryan and gave him a smile. "Sounds like fun," he said. "Take me to your clubs."

Ryan smiled back and led Troy back to one of his family's private rooms where they stored certain things and within a few minutes, the two friends were heading out to the course, club sets thrown over their shoulders.

"I thought for sure we'd be taking a golf cart out here," Troy said as they walked up to the first tee. "I can't believe I blew off my afternoon of laziness to walk around in the heat carrying around this heavy bag."

"Oh, if I knew you wanted to take a cart, I would have gotten one," Ryan said. "I don't usually take the cart when I'm on my own. I usually only take it when I'm with Sharpay or the rest of my family. They're not ones for walking the course, but I think it's the best part of the game. It gets me to clear my head."

At hearing Ryan's explanation, Troy felt a little bit embarrassed. "It was just a joke," he mumbled.

"Oh, sorry," Ryan said, blushing again and mentally kicking himself for trying to placate Troy and completely missing the teasing nature of his banter. He always got so worked up in just trying to be friendly to the brunet that he either talked way too much, didn't see an obvious joke or just embarrassed himself.

After a few moments, Troy finally motioned toward the tee. "Why don't you tee up," he offered. "Then I can see how much I need to hold back so I won't embarrass you too much." He smiled, showing Ryan he was only joking.

"Ha ha," Ryan said, moving up and putting the ball on the tee. He turned back toward Troy and said. "Just because I have my mom give me a backboard when I golf with the rest of them doesn't mean I'm any good. I just don't like to show off."

He then turned back and squared himself, preparing to take his shot. He lined up his club, bent his knees and swung away. Both he and Troy watched as the ball sailed through the air and landed in a nice spot in the middle of the fairway, just a little short of the green. He turned back to Troy with a huge grin on his lips.

"Okay," Troy said, his mouth hanging slightly agape. "By the way, my handicap is pretty bad, so we'll probably have to double whatever your stroke count is on every hole. I just wanted to let you know up front."

"Sure," Ryan said, rolling his eyes. "And I'm captain of the school's basketball team. Just tee up and give me a run for my money."

"Well, you do have a lot of it," Troy said, walking past the blond and over to the tee box. He set the ball down and then looked out on the fairway. He really didn't want to look bad, especially since he made that crack before Ryan tee'd off. He needed to prove himself with this shot. He needed to save face. He needed to figure out why he was putting so much pressure on himself. He shook the thoughts out of his head and relaxed his arms and then lowered his head to focus on the ball. In the next moment, his club had been swung and the ball was sailing through the air. He watched as it veered to the left and cringed, but sighed in relief as it came back. 'Thank you, wind shear,' Troy thought. He watched as his ball landed, bounced and then rolled until it was only about 30 yards behind where Ryan's ball had landed.

Troy turned around and shot a relieved smile at his opponent. "Not bad," Ryan said as he picked up his bag of clubs and hoisted them over his shoulder. He walked past Troy and started heading toward their balls, Troy just hung back for a second and watched, thinking that he was going to have a fun time this afternoon. Just then, Ryan turned around and gave Troy a look. "Come on," he said, motioning for the brunet to follow. "The game waits for no one."

The two continued playing. Ryan won each hole, but Troy did come close several times to tying with him. Troy was embarrassed at first and worried that Ryan would heckle him about being the star athlete at school but not able to beat the drama king. His worries were unfounded, however, as the blond never had a discouraging word for him. Heck, he even helped Troy with his swing a few times.

"Here," Ryan said, moving over to Troy who was bent over the tee. He reached out and moved Troy's hands slightly and then moved behind Troy, place his hands on the brunet's shoulders and twisted slightly before tapping on his feet, making them move slightly further apart. "Now try."

Troy swung and watched as the ball sailed out in front of him. His jaw dropped yet again when he saw it land and roll past where Ryan's had landed. He turned his head to thank Ryan and saw that the blond's eyes were not on the ball, but on him. "Looks like I'm going to have to stop giving you tips if I want to win this game."

Troy chuckled. "It's not like I'm going to be able to catch up in the next few holes," he said, grabbing his bag and making his way over to Ryan. "You left me in the dust way back at the beginning of this match."

"I promise not to tell any of your friends about how I kicked your butt today," Ryan said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Besides, it's not like they'd believe me anyway."

Troy furrowed his brow. "Why do you say that?" he asked.

"Give me a break, Troy," Ryan said, rolling his eyes but smiling all the same. "In an athletic match up of any sport between you and me, you would win every time. And everyone thinks that."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Troy said, catching up to walk side-by-side with the blond. "I mean, what about that baseball game earlier this summer? I heard you're quite the pitcher. Chad couldn't stop talking about it—well, after he started talking to me again."

Ryan could hear the change of tone in Troy's voice and didn't like it. He could tell that he still thought very poorly of himself when he looked back on the early parts of the summer. "It's not your fault, you know," Ryan said. "No one can blame you for wanting to make sure your future is taken care of."

"Well, that sure didn't stop everyone from thinking the worst of me, thinking that I was a horrible person," Troy rebutted.

"They didn't think you were a horrible person," Ryan continued to explain, stopping to put a hand on Troy's shoulder. "I think they were just jealous. It's hard to watch someone you know and love start to grow away from you, especially when that person is getting something you want just as badly."

Troy stopped and looked contemplative for a moment, but then shook his head. "I still didn't have to do that. I should have stood by my friends."

"You didn't do anything that nobody else would have done," Ryan said, pleading with his eyes for Troy to understand that he was not a bad person just because he was looking out for his future.

Troy just stood, looking out on the horizon for a moment before he turned back to Ryan and gave him a small smile. "You seem to have some experience with this kind of stuff."

Ryan laughed. "I have been known to dabble in self-loathing every now and again," he said.

"Why, though?" Troy asked.

The question took Ryan aback. No one had ever asked, and he thought it seemed pretty self-evident. "Come on," he said. "Most people at school know me as Sharpay's brother and not Ryan. I'm basically her biggest accessory and you ask why I've dabbled with self-pity?"

"I don't think anyone actually thinks that of you, Ry," Troy said. "Especially once they get to know you. You're so much more than anyone's shadow. And you shouldn't think of yourself like that."

Ryan blushed, not just because of what Troy was saying but also because of the use of a nickname. He'd never had one of those, unless you counted the one his mother used, and Ryan was loath to ever admit to that. "Thanks," he whispered, his head still ducked, a smile still spread across his face.

Before things could get any sappier, Troy began trudging on again. "Come on," he said. "Let's finish this game."

When the two had finally finished their round of golf, they made their way back up to the clubhouse and into the kitchen area where they both grabbed an ice-cold glass of water. They then took them and hung out on the patio, watching as other club members and staffers went from place to place.

"That was great," Troy stated. "We'll have to do it again, and you'll have to keep giving me pointers. Chad's mind will be blown when I show him that swing you taught me earlier."

"Anything for you," Ryan said, laughing at Troy's enthusiasm. He then started undoing his golfing glove and looked down at the watch on his wrist. "Oh my gosh!" he exclaimed. "I'm going to be late for my yoga class."

Troy, who was wearing a surprised look because of Ryan's outburst, smiled. "Oh come on," he said, "blow it off. You can always take another yoga class later. Let's go do something else."

Now it was Ryan's choice to be torn. He would give anything to hang out more with Troy. He'd had so much fun out on the golf course with Troy and he'd actually been able to have some good conversation. He'd told Troy some things he'd only ever told his mom or his sister, and it was nice to have someone else to talk to. But this yoga class was a standing engagement with his mother. This was their thing. He couldn't back out on her.

"Can I give you a rain check?" Ryan asked. "I always do this yoga class with my mom and I can't ditch out on her. But I promise, we'll do something later, okay?"

"Okay," Troy said, a little disappointed, but he understood having obligations with parents. "Give me a call and we'll go do something." Troy then took out a slip of paper, the back of his scorecard, and patted his pants down for something to write with. He still had the mini pencil they used to keep score and wrote down his cell phone number and handed it over to Ryan.

"I'll catch you later," he said. "I'm off to go be lazy. Don't try and stop me this time."

Ryan laughed and waved as Troy walked away. He then took a look at the paper and saw Troy's untidy scrawl. It had 10 digits, including an area code. He was holding in his hot, little hands, Troy Bolton's phone number. This was the best day of his life.

HSM•••HSM

Ryan walked into the quiet room with his rolled up purple yoga mat underneath his arm. He was sporting a tight, blue muscle shirt and some white yoga shorts. He spotted his mother in their usual place in front of the large picture windows looking out on the landscape of the country club. He walked quietly over to where his mother was sitting with her legs crossed. She had already started her meditation so Ryan just unrolled his mat and toed off his shoes before taking a seat and crossing his legs in a similar fashion. He rested his hands on his knees and closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing, calming and deepening it.

He tried to clear his mind, but he couldn't. He kept getting visuals from his afternoon with Troy. Troy leaning over and putting his ball on the tee, his shorts stretching across his backside and leaving absolutely nothing to Ryan's imagination. Troy smiling at him. Him standing behind Troy helping him with his swing. The look in Troy's eyes when he said that Ryan was so much more than an accessory to his sister. The afternoon had been perfect, and they hadn't even so much as bumped into one another.

"Your breathing is quickening, ducky," his mother said from right next to him, startling him out of his reverie. "You're not concentrating. Or I should say, you are concentrating on something, just not what you should be."

Ryan blushed at being caught. "I didn't mean to disturb you," he said. "I just got finished with a round of golf and I lost track of time."

"It's okay, dear," his mother said, a smile gracing her thin pink lips. "Were you out there by yourself or was someone else out there distracting you from our yoga time?"

"Oh, I was out there with Troy," Ryan said as he extended his legs and began stretching. His mother soon followed his lead. "Troy Bolton, you remember him, don't you mom? He's the one Sharpay was all over at the beginning of the summer."

"Oh yes," Mrs. Evans said. "He's a nice, young boy. It's a shame he and your sister didn't see eye to eye on things."

"It's hardly his fault," Ryan said, turning his head slightly from it's position near his knee. There were many benefits to his daily yoga lessons with his mother. Aside from him talking through things with her, he was also able to improve his flexibility and stamina. It really was a major factor in his being able to dance for so long without even breaking a sweat. "After everything Shar did to terrorize him and his friends, we're lucky they're still working for us. Let alone willing to play friendly rounds of golf with us."

"Oh, Ducky," his mother scolded, turning to face him as well. "Don't be so hard on your sister. She had a crush. And you know she's not used to having to work for something she wants."

Ryan rolled his eyes. That was probably the understatement of the century. He lifted his torso and stretched it quickly before moving into his first position. His mother followed suit. If anyone had been watching they probably would have been awed at the fact that the two moved in synch without even communicating what they were doing, without even looking at one another. They both lay down on the mat, their hands lying to their side. Then, with a minimal thrust, they brought their legs up perpendicular with the floor and slowly lowered them over their torsos until their feet were resting on the mats above their heads.

It looked incredibly uncomfortable, but was actually very relaxing. Ryan could feel the muscles in his back and through his legs stretching and hissed as something in his back popped. He'd have to stretch a little more before doing this next time. He had almost forgotten that his mother was right beside him until she spoke up. "Did you and Troy have a good time?" she asked. She sounded somewhat out of breath, but it wasn't because she was out of shape, rather, it was because their current position didn't allow for their lungs to expand very much. Ryan took that into account and raised his legs and brought them back down to the mat so that he was in a regular laying position before he tried to answer.

"Yeah," he said once his lungs had taken in a sufficient amount of oxygen. "I was even able to help him with his swing." Anyone within earshot could most likely hear the pride in Ryan's voice at being able to teach the school's all-star athlete.

"That's good, Ducky," his mother said, now lying in a similar flat position. "I'm glad you're getting on so well with all of your school chums. Especially that one, what's his name? Danforth?"

"Oh, you mean Chad?" Ryan asked.

"The young man with the curly hair?" she clarified. At seeing Ryan's nod, she continued, "Yes, the staff has been telling me that you're getting awfully close with some of the summer hires. I hear you even played baseball with them a few weeks ago. You've just been busy as a bee this summer, haven't you?"

"I guess I have," Ryan said as he began moving into yet another position. His thoughts drifted to earlier this summer. He sat up and brought one of his legs under him while he lifted the other and placed it over his other let so that his ankle was resting against his thigh. He had so much fun when he was just hanging out with the other Wildcats. He didn't know why it had taken him this long to come out of his shell, but he didn't care. Gabriella was fast becoming one of his closest confidants; Chad was bringing him into the fold with the rest of the guys, not to mention the fact that he was just plain fun to hang around. And then there was Troy.

He turned to the side and looped one of his arms under his bent knee and then reached around his back with his other arm and grabbed a hold of his other questing hand, causing his blue shirt to stretch tight across his chest. He looked like a human pretzel. A blue one. That thought, however, didn't distract him from his Troy-dreaming. His smile. His hair. His eyes. His body. Everything about him was just perfect.

"You're not controlling your breathing again," his mother scolded, causing Ryan's face to color. He'd been caught again. "What is it that's causing you to lose concentration so much today, Ducky? Or is it someone?"

Damn. He hated being caught, but he hated it even more when his mom was right in knowing what he was thinking. The best he could do now was lie. He'd lie through his teeth if it meant deflecting more of his mother's questions.

"Someone," he said. Damn him and his inability to lie to his mother.

"I do hope you and Austin are thinking things through before you make such a big commitment like that," she said, turning her head so that, even while in her human pretzel position, she could see her son's face.

Ryan's face flushed an even deeper shade of red at his mother's implications. "I wasn't thinking about Austin," he said, trying to duck his head without losing his position, which was surprisingly difficult.

"Oh?" his mother asked. "Who were you thinking about, then?"

"I—uh—no one important," Ryan tried. If his mother's expression was anything to go off, he was not succeeding. He really should start paying a bit more attention to how Sharpay was able to pull such things off.

"Uh huh," she responded, clearly not believing him. "Just be sure that you're making smart life decisions, Ducky. No one likes being in a sham relationship."

Ryan's eyes were immediately downcast. His mother always knew exactly what to say to make him think about the things he tried shoving to the back of his mind. He knew it wasn't a good thing to string Austin along, he just didn't like the prospect of being alone. He conveniently forgot the part about him not necessarily liking being around him all the time. Wasn't yoga supposed to be relaxing?

HSM•••HSM

Troy slammed the front door to his house shut as he kicked off his shoes into the shoe pile in the corner of the entryway. He padded across the hardwood floor and slid on his socked feet into the kitchen, planning to continue his dance to the music in his head while gathering junk food to take into the living room where he would plop himself down on the couch and vegetate in front of the television set until his mom scolded him or his dad convinced him to go outside and either work on his truck or shoot some hoops.

Unfortunately, his dance came to a screeching halt when he saw his mother sitting at the kitchen table, going through the newspaper. He hadn't expected her to be home so early. "Hi mom," he said, stopping awkwardly in the middle of the kitchen. She just laughed at him. "I wasn't expecting you home."

"Oh, I didn't tell you?" She asked, looking surprised. "It must have slipped my mind. I'm only working half days for the rest of the summer. I guess you wouldn't have noticed, though since you've been working so hard."

"Yeah," Troy said, turning away from his mom, determined to not let her presence put off his being lazy. "I got off early today, too. I would have been home earlier, but I played a round of golf with Ryan."

"Ryan Evans?" his mother asked. "Don't his parents own that country club?"

"Yeah," Troy said absently, having opened the cupboard in search of food. He pushed past the pretzels, saw the peanut butter and moved to the back of the cupboard. That's where all the real booty was. He finally hit pay dirt when he came upon an unopened bag of sour cream and cheddar potato chips. Pulling the bag out of the cupboard, he gave the pretzels and peanut butter a second thought and took them as well. He stuffed the two bags and jar under one arm and then maneuvered to the refrigerator and pulled out two cans of soda. He turned around and caught his mother staring at him. "Can I help you with anything?" he asked, kind of weirded out by her stare.

"You seem different," his mom said.

"Different?" Troy replied, looking down and around his body to see if there was anything noticeably different about him that would make his mother look at him like that. Had he grown another arm and Ryan didn't tell him about it?

"Not your appearance," she said, chuckling softly at her son's antics. "You just seem different. Lighter. Happier. I don't know, I just haven't seen you like this in a while."

"Well, I'll have you know that I was planning on having an afternoon and evening full of junk food and television," Troy said, walking toward the living room. "Maybe that's why I seem so happy."

"I don't think that's it," Mrs. Bolton replied, folding the newspaper and setting it down on the table before pushing her chair in and getting up. Troy sighed internally. He didn't really want his mother to join him for lazy-fest. She'd ask him questions and make him think and all sorts of other things that he just did not equate with laziness. She'd also complain about him getting crumbs everywhere and that was just something he didn't want to contemplate. Lazy did not mean clean.

"Are you sure you want to be lazy with me?" Troy asked, trying to dissuade his mother from joining. "I feel like you time could be better used."

"You don't want me to spend any time with you?" she asked. "You know, I only have a little while with you left and I need to spend as much time with you as possible. Once you leave for college I won't see you anymore and then I'll forget what you look like and when you come home and knock on the door I'll just stand there stupidly and ask who you are and when you tell me, I won't believe you and then we'll get into a fight—"

"Okay, fine," Troy said, cutting his mother off. "You can join me for lazy-fest, but I reserve all remote control privileges and you cannot say one word about crumbs."

"But you know how I feel about crumbs," she started, but Troy cut her off.

"No crumb talk," he said. "These are my terms. Take them or leave them. Take them and build our relationship to stand the tests of time; deny them and enter a world devoid of family love."

Troy took her silence as agreement and continued his journey into the living room. He tossed his food on the couch and went up to the entertainment center to grab the multiple remotes he'd need to operate his gateway to laziness. His mother took the chair near the couch, not wanting to encroach on Troy's chosen domain.

The two of them settled down and Troy flipped on the television before tearing into his snacks. He hadn't realized how hungry he'd been until the first chip passed his lips. After that his hands were a whirlwind movement, feeding chips, pretzels and pretzels covered in peanut butter into his mouth. Apparently the round of golf with Ryan had tuckered, yes tuckered, him out more than he thought.

He barely even noticed as time passed and that his mother never really seemed to take her eyes off him. "So," she said after a while, "what's gotten you in this good mood? I don't think you've come home this happy in quite a while."

Troy paused, a pretzel in his mouth and a chip almost there. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "I'm not happier than I have been in a while. Hungrier, maybe, but not happier."

"Oh, Troy," his mother chided. "Mothers can always tell when their kids are in a kind of funk, and you've been in one for a while. But now you're not. I just wanted to know what you've done to turn yourself around."

Troy honestly had no idea what she was talking about. Really, all he wanted to do was stuff his face and watch TV. He didn't want to delve into the mysteries of life, or perceived mysteries as he was quite sure that his mother was off her rocker. "I honestly have no idea what you're talking about," Troy said, shoving the chip that had been stuck in limbo in his mouth.

"Okay, Troy," Mrs. Bolton said, obviously not believing her son. "Whatever you say. Just don't stop whatever it is you've started. I want your senior year to be a memorable one."

Troy just stared at her for a moment before turning his attention back to the television. He tried getting back into the mind-numbing reality TV he had been not-really paying attention to for the last while, but he just couldn't get his mother's words out of his mind. He didn't have any idea where she was coming from, but she had obviously noticed something different and he couldn't help from wondering what exactly it was, if anything, that had caused this change in his behavior. If there was any change to begin with. He sighed. Now he was thinking and that was definitely not on his list of things to accomplish during lazy-fest. Damn his mother.

HSM•••HSM

Ryan ran on the pool deck and took a giant leap, folding his legs up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. He immediately found himself submerged in chlorinated water and began kicking himself toward the surface. Once he breached the water, he took a big gulp of air, filling his lungs, then he brought his hands to his eyes, wiped the water out of them and then opened them, looking around to find his friends in the pool cheering. A smile spread across his face until the piercing screech of his sister's voice met his ears.

"Ryan!" Sharpay screamed from her seat on a lounge where she was busy sunning herself. "You almost got me wet with that little stunt of yours. Don't make me get up off this chair," she threatened.

He pulled a face and ducked his head before turning back to his friends who had swam closer to him while Sharpay was busy yelling. "That was great cannonball," Troy said, swimming up and clapping Ryan on the shoulder. "You should have seen the wave."

Ryan smiled and blushed slightly, not because of the compliment, but because Troy was in extremely close proximity and he was all wet and only wearing a swimsuit. His eyes followed the droplets of water that ran from his mop of hair down his neck and over his chest. He mentally smacked himself, not wanting to embarrass himself in front of everyone, especially since he didn't want to have to explain himself to Troy of all people.

"Yeah, man," Chad said, coming up to flank the other side of Ryan. "All the girls were screaming. None of them saw it coming."

"I'm going to get you back for that, Ryan," Gabriella added as she swam up to the small group of friends. "You're lucky you didn't get your sister, though. Whatever revenge I could come up with, we all know hers would be 10 times worse."

"Yeah," Chad said, a gleam in his eye, "but it would still be pretty amazing to see her get drenched while sitting on top her thrown, you know?"

"I think," Taylor, who had come up behind Chad, started, "if someone jumped into the pool from the opposite side and was able to create a wave like the one Ryan just did, they'd be able to hit Sharpay with the splash."

Chad just grinned. "I knew I liked you for a good reason," he said. "You have a devious mind. Genius, but devious."

The friends all looked at each other, wanting very much for someone to do this, but no one willing to actually take the plunge. After a few moments, Ryan spoke up. "I'll do it," he said.

"Are you sure?" Troy asked, looking concerned. "I mean, won't she get really mad?"

"Of course she will," Ryan replied. "But I've lived with her for almost 18 years. I'll be able to put up with a little Sharpay tantrum. Besides, if I get her wet, she'll go inside and it'll give Zeke a chance to calm her down with some of his baked goods."

"You're devious, too," Chad said with a grin. "Everyone around here is so devious. I love it!"

"What's with you and that word today?" Troy asked.

"It's on his word of the day calendar," Taylor replied. "Every day he has a new word and he tries to use it as much as possible. At least he's using this one correctly."

They all laughed as Ryan moved away from the group over to the edge of the pool. He hoisted himself up and back on the patio. He stood up and pulled his swimsuit, which had fallen scandalously low on his trim hips, up. He was facing away from the pool at the time so he wasn't able to see as Troy watched his every moved, and then dunked himself underwater when he realized what he was doing.

Ryan made his way to the spot on the pool deck where Taylor had indicated and shot his friends a look before glancing over at his sister who was sitting on her lounge, oblivious to the plot against her that was currently unfolding. He was about to begin his run toward the pool when he was stopped by a voice.

"Ryan?" Austin asked. Ryan turned around to find his boyfriend standing at the edge of the pool deck and the clubhouse. By the looks of it, he didn't seem very pleased, but Ryan sent him a tentative smile anyway.

"Hey, Austin," he said, moving away from his attack spot and over to where his boyfriend was standing. "I wasn't expecting you here. Is anything wrong?"

"Is anything wrong?" Austin bit back. "I don't know, Ryan, you tell me. I've just been asking you forever to introduce me to your friends and then I spent most of the day sitting around at home waiting for you to call me and then when I get here, I see that you're just having one big pool party and conveniently forgot to invite me."

Ryan looked down toward the ground. He hadn't meant to not invite his boyfriend, he just hadn't really thought about him. "I'm sorry," he said. "None of this was planned. I was just hanging around here and then everyone thought that since they were getting off early, they'd just hang around in the pool. I would have invited you if I knew it was going to happen."

"Sure you would," Austin said, his tone of voice indicating that he didn't believe Ryan at all. "I'm sure you would have ruined the wonderful time you were having with all of your friends by inviting dull, inconvenient me."

"Oh come on, Austin," Ryan said imploringly. "You know that's not how it is. I didn't mean to make you feel left out. You can join us now if you want. I'll just take you back to one of our rooms and get you a bathing suit."

"I don't want to stay," Austin said. Now he was just being impetuous, but he knew that Ryan wouldn't let him go away still angry, so he was going to milk it for all he could. "But I do know how you can make it up to me."

"How?" Ryan asked, resigning himself to do something he knew he didn't want to.

"Well," Austin started, giving Ryan a coy grin that made him mentally groan—probably not the result his boyfriend was hoping for, "remember how you said you'd come to meet my family?"

At Ryan's nod, he continued. "Well, they're free for dinner this Friday and we were all hoping you could come by and join us for dinner. They're really looking forward to it." He ended his little speech with his puppy dog eyes.

At this moment, Ryan wished his boyfriend were blind so that he wouldn't notice if he rolled his eyes. As it was, his boyfriend had spectacular vision, so Ryan had to suppress the urge. "Just tell me what time to be there," Ryan said.

"Oh, good," Austin said, leaning in to give Ryan a quick kiss. He then looked out to the rest of the people in the pool and pulled a face. "I think I'll skip the pool party, though. Call me when you're done and maybe we'll do something tonight."

"Okay," Ryan said. Austin smiled at him again before leaning in and placing a lingering kiss on his lips. Apparently he was into staking claim now on things he thought were his. He pulled away from Ryan and ran his hand down Ryan's cheek before saying goodbye and turning around to leave the club.

Ryan watched as his boyfriend left and heaved a sigh as soon as he thought it was safe. He didn't even understand how all of that had just happened. And here he was standing out in the sun, in nothing but a bathing suit. And he looked pretty good, if he did say so himself. His boyfriend should have been focusing on him—even if it was just his body—and not on the fact that he felt he was being wronged in some miniscule, microscopic way. And … well, Ryan didn't even know why he was so upset about this. What he really needed to do was get back in the pool and with his friends. Then he didn't have to think about all the things going on that he didn't want to think about.

And so he turned around and ran. He ran and let all of his worries fly out of his mind. He didn't think about Austin. He didn't think about the loneliness he felt. He didn't even think of Troy waiting for him in the pool wearing his very sexy board shorts. He just ran. And then he jumped. And then he was underwater.

**A/N: Well, here's chapter five! I really enjoyed writing the interaction between Troy and Ryan, and I was surprised how much I enjoyed writing the scene with Ryan and his mother. I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

**A big thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. It's so nice to see that what I'm working on is actually connecting with people and your reviews let me know that.**

**Things are going to start getting really interesting in the next chapter, so get ready for it!**


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

Troy walked around the blanket he had laid out on the golf course green. The picnic basket was sitting in a corner and there were paper plates and napkins set nicely in their respective spots. He was attempting to recreate that picnic lunch he and Gabriella had shared at the beginning of summer. If there was something that could recapture what their relationship was at its best, then this picnic lunch would be it. They would have a nice lunch, and then Gabriella would be happy and Troy would finally get to see that part of their relationship that made him happy to be in it again.

He looked at the set up with a wide smile. Gabriella would be meeting him there in a few moments and hopefully be surprised. He didn't tell her what they were doing, only that she should meet him out on the green, but he wouldn't be surprised if she had everything figured out already. She wasn't the smartest girl in the school for nothing. Even though she sometimes did lack in the common sense arena. Either way, it didn't matter. She would be coming; it would be romantic, and their relationship would be saved.

Troy took the last few moments before his girlfriend showed up to take a look at the scenery. He looked over to where the flag denoting where the hole was. It was just last week when he'd been out here and Ryan had helped him with his swing. He hadn't had the opportunity to come out and practice any since then, but he couldn't wait until he had the chance to bring either his dad or Chad out and give them a sound beating on the golf course. It may have been bad that he was reveling in beating his best friend at a game, but the part he was looking forward to most was when Chad inevitably asked him how he improved his swing. It would be then that Troy would be a bad friend and withhold that ever-important information. He would say something about having a secret weapon and revel in the fact that Chad would beg and beg for the information and never give it to him. Was he evil? Possibly. Did he love every second of it? Yes.

As the slight breeze hit his face, he thought on the events leading up to this point. At the beginning of summer, he hadn't thought there could be a single thing that would disturb the natural progression of his relationship with Gabriella, his road to a scholarship at a university, his friendships. And here he was, trying valiantly to save a relationship that was looking more and more like the Titanic every day. Life had a funny way of changing the rules just when you'd thought you finally had a grip on the old set. The summer had already held a lot of changes for him and he couldn't help but wonder if it would be holding anymore for him. And in the off chance it did, if life could possibly let him know in advance so that he could mentally prepare for it. But knowing life and how it liked to lord things over him, he knew he wouldn't be getting any such advance warning.

And now he was going crazy.

It was a good thing he spotted Gabriella coming up in the distance. 'Good,' he thought to himself. 'She can keep me from talking to myself and becoming even more crazy.' He conveniently chose that moment to look over the fact that he was already talking to himself.

He watched as Gabriella walked up to where he was standing. She was wearing a skirt with a colored top. The wind was making her hair waft lightly around her head. The sight should have made Troy's stomach flip in the way it used to do when she would come toward him looking all beautiful and the like. But nothing happened. There wasn't any awkward feeling, no nervousness, no nothing. He didn't know if that was something he should be worrying about or if that was also just something that happened after someone had been a relationship for a while.

"Hey, Troy," Gabriella said as she approached him. She looked past him and to the blanket that he had spread across the grass. "Oh, a picnic? Just like earlier. You don't think Fulton will get mad at us again, do you?"

Troy blushed. He had completely forgotten about what had happened the last time they decided to throw caution to the wind and have a picnic. He didn't really think of asking for permission to do this and he really hoped that Fulton didn't pick this moment to decide to patrol the grounds. He knew Fulton was a raving lunatic when it came to the propriety of his staff and the club, so why wouldn't he think to at least do this somewhat discreetly? He'd just been having such a good time at the club lately that he had forgotten that he wasn't actually a member. Ryan never thought to treat him like he was staff.

"So," Gabriella started, ducking her head to catch Troy's gaze, "are we going to sit down and eat or are we just going to stand here and not look at each other?"

Troy then looked back up and blushed even further. "Sure, sure," he said, putting a hand on her back and showing her over to the blanket. "I got Zeke to put together a quick lunch for us—"

"Let me guess," Gabriella cut in, "peanut butter sandwiches, grapes, some bottled water and two snickerdoodles."

"How did you know that?" Troy asked, looking at his girlfriend with a small smile on his face. "You always do that. I can never surprise you."

The two of them sat down and made themselves comfortable. Troy grabbed the basket and reached into it to begin passing out the food. He set down a sandwich on one of the paper plates and picked off a few grapes from the cluster and placed them next to the sandwich. He handed the plate to his girlfriend and then went back to setting one for himself. He was just about to reach back in to grab the water when Gabriella spoke up.

"It's your favorite lunch," she said. That kind of threw Troy off and he gave her a confused look. What was she even talking about?

"The peanut butter sandwich with grapes, two cookies and a bottle of water," she said again. "You have it every day. It's your favorite lunch. That's how I knew it's what we were having."

"Oh," Troy said. He never realized that she had paid so much attention to his eating habits. Then his thoughts turned to the fact that if he was trying to impress her or get their relationship back on track, he might have wanted to consider what she likes to eat.

"You can have my cookie," Gabriella said. "I don't like snickerdoodles anyway."

Troy frowned. She didn't even like snickerdoodles. Who didn't like snickerdoodles? They had the sugar and the cinnamon, and even the funny name that made you want to giggle like a little girl. What was there not to like? But that wasn't the point. The point was that he knew so little about her, or cared so little about her that he didn't even know that she didn't like them, but had packed them in a lunch whose sole purpose was to win her over or prove to him that they were good for each other. God, life was confusing.

"Is there something wrong?" Gabriella asked, noticing Troy's frown and concerted effort to stare down the picnic basket. "Is it the cookie? Because if it's not a snickerdoodle I could really use the sugar right now and I know that they're your favorite and all, but I'd just rather have chocolate chip."

"What?" Troy asked, still too ensconced in his own thoughts that he hadn't even heard Gabriella speak.

"Oh, nothing," she replied. "I just talked about cookies for a moment and asked if there was something bothering you?"

Troy let out a sigh. He didn't want to have this conversation, but he didn't think he could put it off anymore. How the hell had this picnic turned from something that was supposed to keep them together to becoming a breakup lunch?

"This isn't working, is it?" The words came out of Gabriella's mouth, but Troy could have sworn he was just thinking them. He looked back up at his girlfriend to see a sad smile across her face.

"What?" Troy asked, hoping that his mouth would sometime in the next century catch up with his brain.

"This," Gabriella said, motioning between the two of them. "Us. This isn't working anymore, is it?"

"I—I, I don't know what—" Troy stuttered out. He had absolutely no idea why this was so difficult for him. He had been thinking the exact same thing just seconds before. Heck, he had even planned on saying the exact same thing and now he was tongue tied. He had issues. Big issues. Issues that would not work themselves out. But he'd have to put those big issues that wouldn't work themselves out off to the side because he had to engage in conversation with someone else at the moment.

"Troy," Gabriella said softly, reaching out to put her hand over his. "I know you've been thinking the same thing for a while now. We just haven't been able to talk about it until now. Things with us have just been kind of … off. I'm not saying that there's anything wrong between the two of us. It's just this whole relationship doesn't seem to be working for us anymore. It happens."

Troy looked back up at her. "I know," he said. "I just wanted so much for this to work, you know? I've never had anything not work out for me, and then you came and we started dating and I just didn't want it to end."

"Even though you knew we weren't going to work out?" she asked. "You know that's no reason to stay in a relationship." Then she tightened her grip on Troy's hand. "I appreciate you trying so hard, but don't you think it's best for us to end things now before we start annoying each other and end up being bitter and resentful? I love you, Troy. I love you like the best of friends, and I don't want us to end up like those couples who don't know when to call it quits and end up hating each other."

"I guess you're right," Troy said. Then he smiled. "Besides, I don't think I could see myself staying with someone who doesn't like snickerdoodles."

"Oh come on," Gabriella said, letting go of Troy's hand and tossing a grape at him. "They may have the cinnamon and the funny name, but what else do they have going for them?"

"What else do they need?" Troy asked. The two of them laughed and began eating their lunch in a comfortable silence. He took a big bite out of his sandwich and looked up at his, well, his friend, and smiled. She smiled back. As soon as he finished swallowing his bite, he spoke up. "This is what I've missed," he said. "I've missed us being able to have these fun conversations and just being able to hang out with you."

"I know what you mean," Gabriella said. "I guess this really was for the best, huh?"

"I guess so," Troy replied. "I'm just, I don't know, I'm just glad that we got this all taken care of. You have no idea how much I've been wracking my brain trying to do something to make sure that we were right for each other."

Gabriella smiled. "Oh, I can believe it," she said. "But before I forget, I wanted to make sure you get this back." She then reached behind her neck and unclasped the necklace Troy had given her at the end of the school year. She gently brought it over her head and into the palm of her hand.

"You don't have to give that back," Troy said. "I gave it to you. Just because we're not dating anymore doesn't mean you have to give it back."

"Troy," Gabriella said, a hint of laughter in her voice. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I would feel really awkward wearing a necklace with a T dangling from it unless I was dating someone whose name started with a T."

Troy had to admit, her logic was sound. He wouldn't really want to be wearing something like that either. So he extended his hand and grabbed the necklace. He opened up his hand to look at it, the shiny silver T gleaming in the bright sunlight. He shoved it in his pocket before he had a chance to really think about it. Then he looked back up at Gabriella who was still looking at him. "I guess it's really over then, isn't it?" he asked. She just nodded and gave him a small smile.

"Yeah," she agreed. "But everything is still good between us. Don't forget that." They continued sitting there, in the middle of the golf course, on the red and white checkered blanket, reveling in the fact that their relationship was over and both of them were still alive and in one piece. Who knew that a high school break up could end so well and with so little screaming? "I better be getting back to work," Gabriella finally said, moving to get up off the ground. "I'll see you around, Troy."

Troy smiled and watched as she walked away. He wasn't as sad as he thought he'd be. Of course, it was always sad to see something that had been such a big part of your life go away, but he felt more excited than not. He felt as though he had his life back. He didn't need to spend every waking minute agonizing over his relationship. He was free to do whatever he wanted whenever and with whomever he wanted. Everything seemed to be looking up again.

HSM•••HSM

Troy walked through the front door and softly shut it behind him. He slipped off his shoes and made his way to the stairs, going quietly, hoping to avoid talking to his mother. Ever since she had started taking the afternoons off, he couldn't get a moment of peace. He'd come home and she'd be there waiting for him. Waiting to pounce and find out every minute detail of his life, of his day, of the ride home from work. She was like an attack puma sitting in the kitchen just waiting for him. But this time, he was prepared. He was going to run up the stairs and into his room before his mother even knew someone else had entered the house. He'd close and lock the door and be safe until dinner when he could probably just ignore any probing questions from his mom by making small talk with his dad about basketball.

The only problem that Troy had not taken into account was that his mother was on her way downstairs when he walked in the door. He had already started his ascent when he looked up and saw his mom standing at the top of the stairs. She was like an attack dog, but less ferocious. More like an attack cat, without the claws. But still, it was scary.

"How was your day, hun?" she asked. It seemed innocent enough, but Troy could see past the innocent exterior. She was looking for something and he was damned if he was going to give it to her.

He continued walking up the stairs, making minimal eye contact with his mom. "It was good," he said. Damn. He gave in and she hadn't even pulled out the big guns yet. He was a sucker for that motherly presence. He caved every time.

"How did your picnic with Gabriella go?" she asked. Double damn. He forgot that he told her about that. Why, oh why did he always cave in the face of imminent questioning? She wasn't even that intimidating. She wore pantsuits for Godsake. Who could be intimidated of someone wearing pantsuits? Unless, of course, that someone was Bea Arthur. She was scary. But Bea Arthur his mother was not, and regardless of how often he tried to avoid her questioning, he always failed. Some would say that made Troy a mama's boy. But since when did Troy ever listen to the masses?

"It went well," Troy mumbled, walking past her and down the hallway toward his room.

That answer was not enough for Troy's mother, though, and she followed him to his room. She arrived just before the door had the chance to close and butted her way in. "Are you sure it went well?" she asked. "You don't sound like it went well. Did Gabriella not like the food? Or did you all get in trouble again? It has something to do with that nasty manager, doesn't it?"

Troy listened to her ramble on about all the possible reasons why Troy's picnic didn't go well, surprised about how much about his life she remembered, and even more surprised that he had willingly shared all of that information with her. He could have listened to her go on for a while longer, but some of her ramblings were getting pretty out there. "Mom," Troy said, cutting her off, "the picnic went well. Fulton didn't do anything. There were no freak storms and no rogue animals ran out and attacked us while we were eating. But Gabriella and I decided to break up."

He wasn't facing his mother, so he didn't see any facial expression changes, but he did notice the resounding silence that enveloped his room after his announcement. He turned away from his closet, where he was currently rummaging for a t-shirt to see his mother standing stock still in his doorway. "Did you hear me, mom?"

It took her a moment, but eventually, she did answer. "Yes," she said. "I heard. I just, well, I think I need to sit down for a moment." Then she moved to take a seat on the edge of Troy's bed. Troy, confused by his mother's reaction moved toward her and knelt beside her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"What do you mean you and Gabriella broke up?" she asked. Apparently Troy's concern for her was misplaced. It was just a quick shock to the system, but his mom was back in full force. "I thought things were going so well with you two. Well, except for that bump earlier this summer, but I thought you had worked through everything. What happened?"

"It's okay, mom," Troy said, trying to placate his mother who seemed to be taking this much worse than either he or Gabriella did. "We just decided it would be better for both of us if we were just friends."

"Wow," she said, moving from a sitting position to a horizontal one. "This just comes as such a surprise. Why don't you seem more shocked than you do? Is something wrong? Oh goodness, it hasn't sunken in yet, has it. Let me go get you something to eat and a box of Kleenex." She made it up from her lying position to up and moving in under three seconds. Troy got dizzy just watching her, but not dizzy enough to stop her.

"Mom," he said. When she didn't stop he raised his voice. "Mom!" That finally got her to stop. "I promise, things are okay. I'm fine; Gabriella's fine; the whole world is fine. We just thought it would be better to not be a couple anymore. I don't need any Kleenex, but if you want to get me something to eat, I don't want to stop you."

"Are you sure everything is okay?" she asked, just trying to make sure he wasn't in denial.

"I couldn't be better," Troy said, giving his mother a smile. "I promise. The breakup was totally both ways. We're all doing a-okay."

"Well, as long as you're sure," she said again. Troy had to laugh at her insistence. He guessed it was all just part and parcel the whole mom gig, but still. It was nice. "Okay, well, I'm going back downstairs. If you need anything, just let me know."

She began making her way out of the room when she turned around. "Oh, and before I forget," she said. "Ryan called earlier and asked if you wanted to play a round of golf tomorrow after work."

"Really?" Troy asked, becoming excited. "Excellent! He can help me some more with that swing we started working on the other day."

Troy's mom left wondering why her son wasn't any more upset than he was and how a simple golf game could immediately change his demeanor. Something was going on, but she had absolutely no idea what. Boys, especially teenage ones, were so confusing sometimes.

HSM•••HSM

The sun was already setting by the time the two of them reached the ninth hole. They would have been further along in their game, but Troy had insisted that they go to the shooting range before so he could work on his swing a little before they went out. Ryan, of course, couldn't turn him down. Especially when he looked so cute asking.

The game this time was a lot closer than it had been during their previous outing. Apparently the moves Ryan had taught Troy really were the key to victory. Ryan had to step up his game in order to keep his lead throughout, but now that it was getting dark, Ryan started focusing more on his stomach and less on the game, but his constant Troy-gazing might have also had something to do with Troy's being able to close the gap so quickly within the last two holes.

"You sure have improved since the last time we've played," Ryan said. "Are you sure you haven't been sneaking here after hours to practice while the rest of us have been getting our beauty sleep?"

"I promise I've done no such thing," Troy said, laughing at Ryan's joke. "But your help with my swing last time has done wonders for my game."

Picking out a putter from his bag, Ryan walked over to where his ball lie, about 15 feet from the hole. "I'm starting to think I shouldn't have taught you that," he said. "You're really making me work for my win tonight."

"Well, maybe if you focused more on your game and less on your grumbling stomach you wouldn't be in such a jam right now," Troy rebutted, throwing his friends a smirk.

Ryan blushed at that. He knew his stomach had been making noises, but he didn't think that Troy had been able to hear it. Noises made by the body were so unattractive, and having them heard by someone he'd had a crush on for the past bajillion years made Ryan just want to crawl into a hole and die.

He was about to square himself out for the shot when he heard a soft humming in the distance. He ignored it at first, but it just kept getting louder and louder, breaking his concentration. He finally looked up just in time to see a golf cart pull up beside Troy. He let out a sigh when he saw who was in it. Austin didn't even like golf, what could he possibly want to be out here for? One look at his boyfriend's face, however, and it all came flooding back to him.

He was supposed to meet Austin and his parents for dinner tonight, and judging by the fact that dusk would soon be upon them, Ryan wagered that he had missed the meal. He hadn't intentionally tried to skip out on it; he'd just been so excited when Troy agreed to play that it had completely slipped his mind. But that wouldn't matter to Austin. He was going to have hell to pay.

Austin got out of the golf cart and marched—there could be no more accurate term to describe it—over to his boyfriend. When he got right next to Ryan he kicked his ball out of the way and smacked him on the arm. "You were supposed to meet me and my family for dinner tonight!" he exclaimed. "What happened? We waited forever and I started to get really worried, but when I called your house, you mother said you still hadn't gotten back from the club, and then I find you out here."

He then took a moment to look over at Troy who was standing back by the golf cart, trying not to listen to the argument, even though it was next to impossible to do so. He then turned back to Ryan and gave him an all-knowing leer. "Well, I guess that answers my question," he said. "You ditched out on me to play a round of golf with the model over here. You can't get enough of him when he works, so you keep him after so you can ogle him."

Troy's eyebrows shot up into his hairline at seeing that. He looked and saw that Ryan was blushing, but that couldn't be the reason. He must have just been really embarrassed that his boyfriend was making such a scene in front of someone he didn't even know.

"Your blush tells me everything I need to know," Austin accused. "If you wanted to ditch out on dinner to hang out with Romeo here, you should have just told me."

"Oh yeah," Ryan said, the first thing he had said since Austin appeared. "Because that would make this confrontation any less awkward than it is right now."

Austin gave him a seething look. "So you admit it, then?" he asked, throwing his arms into the air and sending Troy a glare that could kill. "You ditched out on dinner with my family—that you promised to come to, may I remind you—so you could hang out with this … this guy? Why don't you just fuck him and get it over with already?"

"What?" Ryan asked, completely taken aback by Austin's outburst. He knew Austin was mad, but he hadn't ever expected him to say something like that, especially in front of Troy.

"You heard me!" his boyfriend yelled. "If you want him so bad, why don't you just dispense with the small talk and get the deed over with."

"You know I would never do that to you," Ryan said, trying to get his boyfriend to calm down. "Besides, Troy is straight and he has a girlfriend. He's had one for quite a long time, so don't worry."

"But you admit that if he wasn't straight you'd totally be all over him?" Austin asked. "I just don't get it, Ry. I thought we had something good."

Ryan closed his eye and brought his gloved hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I didn't admit to anything," he said. "I invited Troy to play a round of golf the other day and then I completely forgot about the dinner tonight. I didn't intentionally skip out on anything, and you know I would never do that."

"That doesn't mean he wouldn't do the same thing," Austin said. "What makes you think he wouldn't jump at the chance to have someone like you?" Then he turned to Troy and yelled. "You stay away from my boyfriend; I know what you're trying to do and it won't work."

Troy just stood there looking confused, and Ryan sent him a pleading look, hoping that the brunet wouldn't completely hate him after this was all over. When Austin turned back to him, he gave him the same pleading look. "What are you trying to do?" he asked. "Are you trying to make it so that you're the only one who will even consider talking to me? Because if you keep it up, that's exactly what it's going to be."

Austin looked like he was trying to hold on to this grudge for as long as he could, but he was fighting a losing battle. He knew that deep down Ryan would never intentionally try to hurt him like that, even if he had been acting off for the last week. He had just thought the worst of everything, especially when he saw that Ryan was hanging out with the guy he not-so-secretly had a crush on. Yeah, he wasn't stupid. Anyone could see that Ryan had a thing for Troy. Austin just liked to think that he was enough for Ryan. But sometimes, insecurities got the best of him and he freaked out like this. Which didn't really do anything to help his cause, but he couldn't help it.

"Look," he started, somewhat defeated. "You do what you want. I just wanted for you to meet my parents. I'll talk to you later."

"Austin," Ryan started, not wanting his boyfriend to leave while he was still so obviously upset. "Austin, don't leave. Let's talk about this."

He stopped and turned, looking as defeated as he sounded just a moment before. "Look, I just want to go home right now, Ry," he said. "I know you wouldn't do that; I was angry. But even though I know you wouldn't, I'm still upset. So, I'll just talk to you later.'

"Okay," Ryan said, watching as Austin hopped back into the golf cart and drove off, heading in the direction of the club. He continued watching until he couldn't see the cart anymore. Then he heaved a big sigh and turned around to see Troy still standing off in the distance. He started walking toward his friend, hoping against hope that he wouldn't be completely freaked out by what had just happened.

"I'm so sorry you had to see all of that," he said when he finally got over to where Troy was standing. "He was beyond out of line talking to you like that. It wasn't you who forgot about having dinner with him tonight."

"It's okay," Troy said, amazed that Ryan hadn't popped the guy in the face while he had been there, and even more amazed that he was now apologizing for him. "You don't have anything to apologize for."

"I should probably go and try to smooth things over," Ryan said. "I hate to cut our game short, but I really should go."

"I understand," Troy replied, then, trying to lighten the mood he added, "besides, I was getting awfully close to beating you and we wouldn't want that, now, would we?"

Ryan smiled at Troy's attempt at humor, even though he wasn't necessarily feeling it. "You don't have to leave if you don't want," he said. "You can finish up and then just put the clubs back by our rooms."

"Don't be silly," Troy said. "It wouldn't be any fun without you. I'll just walk with you back to the clubhouse and then you can do what you need to do. I'll just see you here again and we'll pick up where we left off."

"Thanks," Ryan said, thinking to himself that Troy really was one of the most understanding guys around. Gabriella was luck y to have him. "We'll definitely pick this game up later."

The two started walking back to the main clubhouse with the golf bags slung over their shoulders. They walked in silence for a few moments before Troy broke it. "I broke up with Gabriella yesterday," he said.

Ryan stopped. Dead in his tracks, he stopped. Nothing could have prepared him for that statement. And Troy had just said it so nonchalantly. What was going on right now? "What?" he asked.

"Gabriella and I broke up yesterday," Troy said again, and with equally as much ambivalence as he had before.

"I'm so sorry, Troy," Ryan said. "You didn't have to come out for a game of golf today; I totally would have understood if you asked for a rain check."

"I didn't want a rain check," Troy cut in before Ryan could say anything else. "It's no big deal. We both decided that the split was for the best, so I would have been lying if I said that I couldn't come out today. Besides, why would I pass up an opportunity to get beaten at some sport?"

"Well, I guess," Ryan said, not really believing everything that was being said. They continued walking in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

Ryan walked into the kitchen, his bare feet making soft slapping noises against the hardwood floor. Ever since he had gotten home, he couldn't stop thinking about the bomb Troy dropped at the golf course. He couldn't believe that they broke up. If he was to pick one thing that day to be surprised by, that would have been nowhere on the list. They were the perfect couple; they had everything going for them. Not to mention, Gabriella was the one thing that kept his feelings for Troy at bay. Whenever he felt like his feelings would overpower him, he could just say to himself that Troy was straight. He had a girlfriend. That proved it. Now there was no girlfriend, and for some reason, in his mind, that made a huge difference. He didn't have his justification anymore, and he didn't know what to do about that.

But then again, maybe there could be a chance. Some small sliver of hope that he could maybe be in a relationship with Troy. As soon as the thought entered his head, he mentally smacked himself. Why he would ever let something like that even enter his mind was beyond him. Troy was straight, and he just got out of a relationship, _and_ he already had a boyfriend. Sure, he had just gotten in a fight with said boyfriend, but that was no reason to jump all over the guy who had just broken up with his girlfriend. Even though the other boy was basically everything you could ever want in a significant other.

He rummaged through the fridge and grabbed the carton of milk. He placed it on the counter while he found a glass and then poured himself a small amount. As he was taking a drink, Sharpay walked into the kitchen.

"Anything interesting happen to you today?" she asked, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl on the kitchen table.

"Troy and Gabriella broke up," Ryan replied.

Sharpay's face shot up to look at Ryan, assessing if he was having her on or not. When she could tell that he was not lying, she looked back down at her apple and took a bite. "Interesting," she said after swallowing.

"Yep," Ryan agreed.

Sharpay walked out of the kitchen, leaving Ryan to put the milk away. He stood in front of the counter for a several more minutes, finishing his glass and staring off into the distance, only his thoughts to keep him company. So much had changed this summer. Ryan wondered how much more would change before it was through.

**A/N: Woo! Chapter six! And look … Troy and Gabriella are no longer! I sense dancing in the street and maybe some parades. Also, what's going on with Ryan and Austin? Did Ryan really forget about the dinner or was it just a convenient excuse? This was a fun chapter to write. I'm glad I finally got to write some of the meat of the story and I hope you all enjoyed reading it.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Please keep reading and reviewing. They're like oxygen to my lungs. Heh. Anyway, let me know what you think.**


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

Ryan stood at the door leading to his boyfriend's house. He had finally come to the moment he had been attempting to put off for the last week and a half: Dinner with Austin and his family. After his last missed meal, Ryan had no intention of giving his boyfriend another reason to track him down and berate him in front of his friends or anyone else he might just happen to be around at the time. He rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer. Within moments, the door swung open to reveal a grinning Austin.

"Come in, come in," Austin said, grabbing his boyfriend by the arm and pulling him into the entryway. "Everyone is waiting in the dining room." He began leading Ryan through the hallway and to the kitchen. "Mom made a roast for dinner tonight. I know you're not so much a fan of red meat, so I made sure there are other side dishes. Just make sure to take a little bit of the roast."

Ryan followed listening as Austin prattled on about the dinner. For him, the dinner was the part of the evening he was least worried about. He had never met the rest of Austin's family and right now his boyfriend was doing nothing to prep him for what he was about to experience. Hell, he didn't even know what his parent's names were. He didn't know if Austin's siblings would be at the dinner and he definitely didn't know how open he was expected to be about their relationship. Basically, he was hoping to stuff the food in his mouth as quickly as possible, while still allowing some sense of decorum, answering any questions shot his way with the fewest amount of words and then getting the hell out of there and back to the safety of his own home.

Before he had the chance to bring himself out of his musings, he was being led into the dining room and presented to the entire Harris clan. "Mom, Dad," he could hear Austin saying, while still not paying too much attention to what was going on around him. "I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Ryan Evans."

Austin's dad stood up from his seat at the head of the table and extended his hand to Ryan who reached out to grasp it. Austin's mom smiled and nodded her head politely before Ryan turned his gaze to the two ragamuffins who were sitting across the table from where he was standing. By the looks of it, they were twins, and from the mischievous grins they were shooting each other, he could tell that he was going to be sitting through one long dinner.

"It's nice to meet you all," Ryan said as Austin pulled out the chair nearest him and made a motion for him to sit down. He took his seat and then watched as Austin took the seat next to him. He then looked around the table and smiled at the rest of the family, which was still entirely focused on him. He'd never felt more self-conscious in his life, and that was saying something since he'd lived in the spotlight for over 12 years. But not even having the lead roles in over 15 (if you counted the spring) school productions could have prepared him for meeting the in-laws, so to speak.

He then took his napkin from the table and laid it in his lap. He was smoothing out the white cloth on one of his thighs when he heard Austin's dad speak up. "So, Ryan," he said. "How long have you and Austin been seeing each other? I know we've heard about you for quite some time, but I don't know if we've ever had the opportunity to meet you before."

Ryan blushed a little at that. It was true, he and Austin had been dating for quite some time now, and he had even stayed the night several times, but he had always made a point to either arrive when he knew Austin's parent's wouldn't be there and leave when he knew they were still asleep. It was an art he had perfected. "We've been going out for a while," he said, knowing he had to say something before the situation got more awkward than it already was. "I'm not sure exactly how long, though. But I am glad that we finally have the opportunity to meet one another."

"Oh come on, Ry," Austin said, nudging him with his elbow, "you know our one year anniversary is coming up in the next month."

Truth be told, Ryan had completely forgotten about it. But he sure as hell wasn't going to say anything about it. He just smiled and passed along the bowl of mashed potatoes that had been handed to him after putting a nice, yet small, portion on his own plate. After all the food had been passed around, Ryan dug into what was on his plate while still engaging in conversation that generally revolved around what he and Austin did together and how they had managed to keep everything going even though they didn't attend the same school. During a lull in the conversation, Ryan was pushing some food around on his plate when he felt something small and wet hit him in the forehead. He then watched as a pea dropped down onto his plate.

He looked up and across the table to see Austin's little brother and sister pass a glance between the two of them before grinning at Ryan. He looked around the rest of the table to see if anyone else had seen what happened, but it appeared as though the two of them had done their reconnaissance work before engaging in battle. He had to give them some credit for that. Although, not too much. They were after all, the enemy, and they would have to pay.

The rest of the dinner passed on much the same. Austin's parents would ask him questions; he would answer. Austin's brother and sister would fling peas at him while no one else was looking; he would glare. He successfully made it look like he had eaten quite a bit when in reality it had just been strategically moved around his plate. Unfortunately for him, Austin and his parents didn't ever seem to notice his discomfort and took their sweet time with finishing dinner. And even when they finished, they had the audacity to just sit at the table and continue talking. Sure, they kept him in the conversation, and he was making every effort to seem as though everything was just fine and dandy, but they should have read between the lines, dammit!

Eventually, the family began to consolidate their dishes, which led Ryan to believe that they were finally going to be able to get up from the table, which would allow him for his speedy escape. He was fully prepared to drop his dishes off in the kitchen, shake Mr. and Mrs. Harris' hands and take off like a bat out of hell. Unfortunately for him, Austin had other plans. Once the table had been tidied up, his boyfriend grabbed his hand and announced to his parents that the two of them were going to go up to his room for a little while. Ryan blushed, knowing what usually happened when they were in Austin's room alone, and knowing that now his parents would be here if anything actually did happen. But instead of putting up a fight, he was the consummate good boyfriend and dutifully followed Austin up the steps.

Once Austin had closed the door to his bedroom, he turned to face his boyfriend who was just about to take a seat on his bed. This caused a grin to spread across the blond's face; it looked as though Ryan was playing into his unannounced plans just perfectly. "So," he asked, walking away from the door, making sure that the door was locked behind him, "what did you think of dinner? I think mom cooked the roast just enough. It was so good. I know you didn't eat much of it, but still, you have to admit it was really good."

"Actually," Ryan said, heaving a big sigh and trying not to relax too much; he still wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. "I spent most of the dinner trying to dodge your brother and sister's flying peas. They're little monsters in kid's clothing."

"Oh, come on," Austin said, sitting on the bed next to his boyfriend, bringing his legs up under his body. He placed his hands on Ryan's shoulder and began kneading them, hoping that the show of affection would relax him and get him ready for what Austin wanted to do next. "They're little kids; you can't expect them to behave all the time. Especially when I bring someone over. They were just being protective of me."

"How do you figure that?" Ryan asked, trying to pull away from his boyfriends hands, which, he had to admit did feel really good. "I would have at least liked it if you conspired against them with me and thrown some stuff back."

"What do I look like, Ry?" Austin asked, temporarily pausing in his massage, "a five year old? What do you think my parents would have said about that?"

"Oh please," Ryan said, getting a little frustrated that his boyfriend wouldn't even take a comical approach to the dinner. Instead he was going to take the high road. "Your parents were so busy either asking me or reveling in their delicious meal that they never even saw your brother or sister do any of that. Why do you think they would have seen us? Besides, sometimes getting back at little kids is the best way to endear them to you. Now they're just going to see me as a wimp."

On the one hand, Ryan was kind of glad he didn't get the opportunity to endear them. He didn't exactly want more ties to the family that he wasn't too sure he wanted to be a part of. But he really didn't like it when people didn't like him. He wasn't sure if they didn't actually like him, or if they were just being your typical nasty nine-year-olds, but he didn't like the not knowing either. Ugh. This evening just wasn't turning out to be anything good. Not that he thought it was going to be something he'd always want to remember. But still.

"How could they ever see you as a wimp?" Austin asked playfully, moving closer behind his boyfriend and nuzzling his face into the crook of Ryan's neck. Ryan rolled his eyes. He knew where this was heading. He also knew that Austin was very hard to deter once he started, and that his best bet would be to just lay back and ride it all out until he could leave and go home. "You're a big, strapping, hot man. No one could ever think that about you … especially if they ever saw you without your clothes on." He ended his sentence by giving Ryan a quick nip on the neck.

"Come on," Ryan said, pulling lightly away from Austin, "no marks. The last thing I want is to leave here with a big mark on my body letting your parents know what we've been doing up here."

"We aren't doing anything," Austin said, pulling Ryan against him and then turning his face so that he was able to see the big leer that spread across his face. He began running his hands up and down Ryan's arms moving them to rub against his chest and stomach. He inhaled Ryan's scent deeply and let out a soft moan. "But that doesn't mean we can't get up to something. I'd love to feel you again."

"I don't know, Austin," Ryan said, trying half-heartedly to pull away from his aroused boyfriend. "I mean, it's one thing for us to do this when we know everyone is asleep, but they're all here and they're all awake. What if they hear us?" He was really grasping at straws without actually going into the real reason he didn't want to do anything.

"I'll be quiet," Austin said. "I promise. Besides, we haven't done it since that first time, babe. Please? I just want you so bad."

Ryan almost gave in just so he wouldn't have to hear his boyfriend talk anymore. He really had no desire to do this, especially with everyone in the house. But ended up thinking that maybe if he just put a little more effort into things, he'd actually like them, that he'd feel like the relationship was something he really wanted to be in. "Fine," he said, giving into what his boyfriend was doing to him.

HSM•••HSM

Troy walked up the steps to his friend's bedroom. He'd just had a quick chat with Chad's mother who had been very worried about him and his recent break up with Gabriella. It had taken him several moments, but he had finally been able to convince Mrs. Danforth that he was going to be all right. It was really sweet of her, though, to be so concerned about his welfare. It was almost like he had two sets of parents. He wasn't really looking forward to the conversation he just knew Chad was going to have with him, but he also knew that it was better to get over with rather than put it off.

And so here he was, just about ready to push open the door to his best friend's room. He smiled as he raised one of his hands to cover his eyes as he shoved the door open. "I sure as hell hope you're decent right about now or we're going to be in for a world of awkwardness," he said, laughing as soon as he had finished.

He lowered his hand just as his friend threw a pillow at him. "Give me a break," Chad said, laughing along with Troy. "Just because every time I come over to your place you're practically naked doesn't mean we all operate like that." It was a good thing he could always rely on his friend to run with a joke in order to evade what was sure to be an awkward moment.

Chad turned off the video game he was playing and set the controller by the game console as Troy made his way into the room. He then walked over to his friend and gave him one of those quick man hugs. The kind where they very quickly wrapped their arms around each other and smacked one another on the back. It was all very caveman and passive aggressive, but it passed for friendship with most all straight men. They then quickly separated and Troy took a few steps back until he was against the wall and he slid down to take a seat, his legs bent at the knees with his arms resting atop them. Chad just walked back to where he had been sitting on the ground near the foot of his bed. The two just stared at one another for several moments before Chad broke the silence.

"So," he said. "You and Gabby, huh?"

Leave it to him to cut right to the chase without any form of small talk. Troy looked down at the floor, not knowing why he didn't really want to talk about it. It wasn't like he was grieving over it or anything. It had been a mutual split and they were even still friends. "Yeah," he said. Troy didn't normally express his emotions all that much, and when he got around other guys, that specific tendency was even more pronounce. Well, except when he was with Ryan. Weird.

"I just don't get it," Chad said, running one of his hands through his curly hair. "I mean, I thought everything was going good between you two. After everything that happened with Sharpay and the talent show and everything. I mean, you got back together and everything. I thought you had worked through all of your problems."

"I wouldn't say that we had problems, you know?" Troy said, trying to get his friend to understand that the breakup wasn't exactly something he could have stopped. "We just didn't click in that way. That doesn't mean I don't like her. She's a great person. She's just not someone I want to date. I don't know if that makes any sense. But it does to me."

"I get it," Chad said. "I just didn't expect it is all. And everything was just falling into place. There was you and Gabby, me and Taylor, even Jason and Kelsi. It just seemed like it was all going to work out for everyone."

"Yeah," Troy said, taking a second to wonder just what the odds were that everyone he knew had a counterpart and how they all just happened to be of the opposite sex. The odds were probably astronomical if he actually cared to try and figure it all out. "But hey," he continued. "We're all still going to be friends. This isn't going to change anything. Gabby and I just aren't going to be holding hands or kissing anymore."

Chad laughed at the last part of his comment. "Yeah," he said. "Because that happened a whole lot to begin with. When I first heard that you broke up I thought that it was because one of you was actually afraid to kiss the other. I mean, we've all be waiting about a year to get you guys to kiss. And then when you finally do, you break up. You have to admit that it is kind of funny."

"I guess," Troy said, not really finding the situation funny. He wasn't offended by what his friend said; he was just intrigued at how other people viewed his relationship with Gabriella. When you looked at it from the perspective of someone else, you had to admit that it was kind of dysfunctional.

"But hey," Chad said, not noticing his friend's bout of introspectiveness. "Since you're taking this whole breakup thing really well and since you and Gabby are still going to be friend and everything, I could try and get Taylor to set you up with one of her friends. I mean, most of them are pretty nerdy, but they're nice and really fun to hang out with. Well, when they're not talking about math or science."

"You make it sound all so appealing," Troy said, laughing at his friend. "But believe me when I say that I really don't want you to have Taylor set me up with anyone just yet. Let me at least get used to being single before I try some other relationship."

That seemed to make sense to Chad. He nodded his head and leaned back against his bed, closing his eyes as if he were contemplating something. "I get that, man, I really do," Chad said, his eyes still closed. "But you took things so slowly with Gabby—almost a year until your first kiss—that's slow. Don't you think taking it slow with someone else will end up just the same way as it did with Gabby?"

Troy sat for a moment in silence, thinking. People say the definition of crazy is to do something over and over and expect a different result every time. So maybe Chad had a point. What was the use of taking it slow again with someone else if he would still be faced with the same end result. He almost wanted to just tell Chad to go ahead and get Taylor to set him up with someone. But he just couldn't. There was something different about relationships. Call him crazy if you want, but he just didn't think he had it in him to get into another relationship right now.

"I don't know, man," Troy said, running a hand through his hair. "I just can't force it, you know? I don't want to force it. Love happens on its own time and I don't want to do anything that isn't going to work out in the long run."

"Dude," Chad said, smiling and holding up his hands in a sign of mock surrender. "I wasn't saying anything about love. I just thought maybe Taylor could set you up on a date or something … just for fun."

Troy blushed and ducked his head. Leave it to him to over-analyze something. Still, he didn't really want to go on any dates right at the moment. And he was pretty sure that he didn't want to go on any dates with someone from the science olympiad.

"Look," he said after another moment. "Why don't we just forget all about this love, relationship mumbo-jumbo and go soot some hoops? I'm tired of talking about my feelings and all this girly stuff. Let's just go do something manly." He pushed himself up from the floor and extended his hand to his curly-haired friend. Chad looked at the hand for a moment before grabbing it and allowing his friend to hoist him up. Once standing, Chad clapped his friend on the back and moved to grab the basketball that was conveniently sitting on his bed. He squeezed the ball in between his hands and then tossed it over to Troy who grinned as he walked out of the room.

HSM•••HSM

Ryan heard the jangle of the bells over his head as he pushed open the door to the local coffee shop. He smirked as he thought to himself that if he and Gabriella had become friends any sooner, he would currently be one of the world's biggest coffee addicts. It seemed like they always had their heart-to-hearts with a cup of coffee within arm's reach. Which brought him back to why he was currently here. Gabriella had been fairly cryptic when she called and asked Ryan to meet her, but he felt fairly confident when he assumed that they were meeting to talk about her and Troy's breakup. He just hoped that she really was okay with the split and not just putting on a show. He didn't know what he would do if he had to choose between his friend and the budding relationship he was forming with Troy.

He spotted Gabriella sitting over in one of the overstuffed armchairs and smiled as he approached her. She already had two cups sitting in front of her, so Ryan assumed that she had already ordered for both of them. His suspicion was confirmed when she held up one of the cups in his direction as he approached her.

"Thanks for the cuppa," Ryan said as he came closer. He took a seat across from his friend and brought the steaming cup of coffee up to his lips for a quick sip. Then he looked up at his friend who was looking at him intently. "So, it's been a hectic week, yeah?"

"I don't know," Gabriella said, taking a drink of her coffee after giving a shrug of her shoulders. The more Ryan looked at her, the more he became unsure of what they were actually here to talk about. She didn't have any of the typical indicators of stress. Her eyes weren't red; her hair wasn't unkempt. She looked the picture of good health and hygiene. If he didn't know any better, he would have said that she and Troy hadn't even broke up. "Work was a little intense, but not much other than that."

"Oh," Ryan said, not really knowing what to say. Gabriella wasn't really making it easy for him to fish out information. "Yeah, I guess Fulton can be a bit maniacal sometime. I just steer clear and play a few rounds of golf."

"Oh yeah," Gabriella said. "Troy said that you gave him a few pointers on his swing. I'm glad to see everything worked out so well."

"Yeah," Ryan said offhandedly. Now he really didn't know what to do. The topic of Troy had actually been brought up and she didn't even take the bait then. "Are you doing all right?" he blurted out before he had the chance to think about the can of worms he may or may not be opening. "I mean, with the whole you and Troy situation?"

"Oh," Gabriella said, looking somewhat surprised.

"I don't mean to pry," Ryan said, knowing he was lying just a little bit. "It's just that I heard from Troy the other day and he said you two were okay about it. I just wanted to make sure you really were okay with everything."

Noticing Ryan's distress over her reaction, she leaned over and grabbed his hand. "You don't have to ramble or apologize," she said. "I was just surprised, although, I guess I shouldn't have been. I knew people would eventually start to talk."

"I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable," Ryan said, trying to wade through the situation as best he could. He didn't need to make anybody mad just when he was starting to branch out at school. "I just noticed that, you know, you didn't look like anything had happened and I wanted to make sure you were all right."

Gabriella let go of Ryan's hand and sat back in her seat. "You don't have anything to be sorry for," she said. "Like I told you, I just was surprised at all. And you don't have to worry; I am fine with everything. Troy and I just decided it wasn't working the way it should. And so we ended it."

"Really?" Ryan asked before he could stop himself. "I've just never heard of a relationship ever ending that well. You were like the model couple and now the model break up. I guess it shouldn't surprise me, though."

"Why's that?" Gabriella asked, laughing at her friend.

"I don't know," Ryan said, leaning back in his chair and setting his coffee cup down on the in-table next to him. "It's just that you guys are perfect in every way that matters so why wouldn't you have the most serene breakup of all time?"

Gabriella sighed. "I'd hardly call either of us perfect, and you know that, Ry," she said. "We just both came to the same realization at the same time. And neither one of us wanted to stay in a relationship that we knew wasn't what we wanted in the end. You know?" she finished, hoping that Ryan could understand.

"Yeah," he said, but not very convincingly. "I guess, but … I don't know. But aren't you worried about being alone?"

"I would rather be alone and happy than with someone and unhappy," Gabriella said as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. And even though it probably was, it was still something that Ryan hadn't actually considered.

Ryan furrowed his brow and sat in concentration for a moment. He had never actually considered something like that before. He had always thought that being in a relationship was one of the most important things he could do. Everyone who he thought was happy was in a relationship. His parents. His friends. And practically everyone famous. Hell, you couldn't even think about running for President unless you had a wife. It wasn't so outlandish for him to think that. But now Gabriella's words had triggered something in him. Maybe being in a relationship, regardless of his actual feelings toward the other person, wasn't something that he really should have done. A novel concept.

"Ryan? Ryan?" Gabriella asked, bringing him out of his musings. "Is everything alright? You looked like you were … I don't know, really thinking about something."

"Oh no," Ryan said flippantly, not really convincing his friend that he wasn't thinking about anything too important. He just kept thinking about his relationship with Austin and how Gabriella's reasoning for ending her relationship with Troy was resonating so much with him. He also couldn't help but wonder why something like this had never occurred to him before. If other people didn't think that being in a relationship was so important, why was he?

HSM•••HSM

A large group of people was sitting around a table on the patio at Lava Springs Country Club. Sure it was their day off, but they had all decided earlier in the week that they wanted to actually utilize the club for what most people did. And so they were all enjoying a nice lunch that was, for once, not cooked, arranged or delivered by another one of them.

Taylor was sitting next to Chad who was sitting across from Ryan, Kelsi and Martha. Troy was sitting on the opposite side of Ryan and Sharpay was holding court at the head of the table with Zeke by her side. Sharpay and Ryan had taken care of lunch, so all of them were enjoying one of the more expensive meals the club had to offer. They were talking, laughing and generally just relaxing with one another. Chad was busy trying to get the secrets of Troy's new golf swing out of Ryan, but Troy kept running interference. Ryan thought it was funny how the two of them interacted and was glad to be at the center of it.

In the middle of one of Troy's speeches as to why Chad shouldn't be allowed to know the secret swing, Ryan looked up toward the entryway and watched as Gabriella walked out onto the patio. He smiled and waved over at the brunette, which she returned. The action caused several people at the table to look over at who Ryan was waving. The usually loud group quieted considerably and looked back and forth between Troy and Gabriella. They all knew that the couple had broken up—rumors didn't stay quiet for very long in any high school, and East High was no exception—but none of them had actually seen Troy and Gabriella with one another since the break up. None of them knew if the break up really was as peaceful as people were saying or if they were going to have to prepare for out-and-out war between the former golden couple.

They all held their breath as Gabriella walked over to the table, well, all except Troy and Chad. But when Gabriella smiled and took a seat next to Troy, you could almost hear the breath being expelled from people's lungs.

Gabriella looked around and the table and then let out a big, long laugh. "What did you guys all expect?" she asked, watching as her friends blushed and looked away. "Did you really think that Troy and I would come here just to have a big fight in front of everyone? You know us all better than that." She then reached over and grabbed one of the fries off Troy's plate and stuck it in her mouth.

Soon the table was back to its normal boisterous level, all of the friends enjoying one another's company and the day off. Ryan and Gabriella were discussing when they would next be hitting up the mall, Ryan saying he needed to pick up some new summer clothes, Gabriella just wanting to go along for the ride. The two of them liked each liked going to the mall with each other, Ryan because he didn't have to follow around Sharpay and carry her bags and Gabriella because Ryan, unlike any other boy she had ever known, actually liked to shop.

They were just finalizing their plans for the next day when Ryan noticed Sharpay waving her arm. He looked over to where he had watched Gabriella come through not 10 minutes ago and watched as Austin walked out onto the patio.

Ryan quickly turned away before taking a quick breath and turning back to smile at his boyfriend who was approaching the table of friends. "Hey, Austin," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh well," Austin started, taking off his sunglasses as he got closer to the table. "I just thought that since you were spending all your time here this summer, I'd just come and see what you were doing."

"If you wanted to hang out, you should have just called," Ryan said, leaving out the part he was thinking about wishing that Austin wouldn't come to his 'turf' without letting him know first.

"Well, now that he's here," Gabriella interrupted, looking over at Ryan while scooting her seat closer to Troy's, who began scooting his closer to Ryan's in order to make room for another at the table. "Why don't you join us for lunch?" She directed the last part of her question to Austin who was grabbing one of the nearby chairs and pulling it up to the table.

"I think I will," Austin said, taking a seat between Gabriella and Taylor.

Ryan had a smile on his face, but if anyone actually cared to pay attention, they would have noticed it was more forced than anything else. He just hoped that Austin wouldn't say anything too embarrassing around the rest of his friends.

**A/N: I'm sorry about the delay of this chapter … but here it is! Everybody knows about Troy and Gabriella now. And look at that, they actually are being friends. But there's still Austin and Ryan, what are those two doing with each other? But, I think Ryan has reached a turning point … if you know what I mean.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. They mean a ton. I hope you all enjoy this chapter … don't forget to ****review!!**


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

Troy was standing on one of the moving stairs of the escalator. He had been wandering through the mall for the last half hour with no real guiding purpose. He had been at his house all morning and finally when he got bored just sitting around there and decided he wanted to do something all of his friends were already busy with their families of significant others. And so, he had thrown caution to the wind and driven his beat up, old pick up truck to the nearest mall and went on an adventure all his own.

Usually he would be self-conscious about going to a place like this all by himself. He usually wouldn't go anywhere by himself. He felt that doing something like going to the movies by himself was the ultimate no-no. What would people thing of him? But desperate times call for desperate measures and this was one of those times. His mother wouldn't leave him alone around the house and had no desire to do yard work with his father, so even though he was breaking a cardinal rule of the social order, he ventured to the mall on his own.

He had walked from one end of the mall to the other already and was just leaving the food court, soda in hand. He didn't really know what he was going to do in the mall for much longer; it's not like he had a ton of extra money to throw around, regardless of the fact that he was working full time, so he couldn't really buy anything. And even though he had come to the mall on his own, there was no way in hell he was going to see a movie in the theater located in the back of the mall.

As he got off the escalator, he had just about made up his mind to just throw away the soda from which he had barely dank anything and head back out to his truck to take the quick ride back home. He spotted the nearest trash bin, which was situated next to a bench and a fake plant. He never really understood the purpose of fake plants in the concourses at large malls, but that was beside the point. He walked over to the tall metal container and was just about to throw the cup in when he was startled by a voice coming to him from his side.

Apparently, the person sitting on the bench next to the trashcan knew him. He hadn't been paying too much attention to his surroundings, just trying to blend in with everyone else, and so didn't notice the mystery person who was now calling out to him. He turned his head and looked over at the bench, a smile spreading across his face when he realized who was talking to him.

"Hey, Troy," Ryan said, smiling from his seat on the bench. "What brings you to the mall today?" He then started looking around where Troy was standing, confusing the basketball player a little. "Who are you here with?" he asked, erasing the confusion from Troy's mind.

He blushed a little, hating that he had been found out for breaking one of his cardinal rules. "I actually came here by myself," he said, shuffling his feet a little while moving away from the trash can and over to his friends. "I was really bored at home and everyone was busy, so instead of being bugged by my mom and dad, I decided to just do something on my own." He finished just as he came to stand directly in front of his friend.

"Oh," Ryan said in acknowledgement. "I hate going places by myself. I don't think I would have been adventurous enough to come here by myself." At that a little shiver ran through Ryan's body, as if he was repulsed even by the idea of it all. "And don't even get me started on going to the movies by myself. I know that some people can do stuff like that, but I just hate going places by myself."

Troy chuckled lightly, thinking it was funny that he and Ryan shared that particular point of view, but then started looking around to see who Ryan was with. "Are you here with anyone?" he asked.

"Yeah," Ryan said, looking away from his friend. Troy thought he saw the hint of a frown cross his features. "I'm here with Austin. He wanted to come and look at some new clothes and that has turned into more than three hours of me following him around and carrying his bags," he finished as he gestured to the stacks of bags that were sitting next to him. Troy cringed a bit as he thought about what Ryan must have been going through and was then thankful that Gabriella had never made him do that with her.

Troy's attention was brought out of his thoughts when Ryan spoke up again. "I didn't think I would ever say this, but I'm not having a fun time shopping," he said, smiling when he saw the look of shock on Troy's face.

"Wow," Troy replied. "Stop the presses; Ryan Evans doesn't want to be shopping. Don't let your sister hear that. You don't know what she'll do to you."

Ryan blushed a bit and then looked back up at Troy. He just then realized that his friend was still standing and he felt kind of awkward just sitting there looking up while talking to his friend. "You know," he said, motioning to the part of the bench next to him, "there is plenty of room on the bench here. You don't have to keep standing. Unless you're afraid I'll try and shove you off after I've lured you into a false sense of security."

Troy laughed and moved to take a seat next to the blond. "So, other than today, how has your weekend been going?" Troy asked. He hadn't seen Ryan since their group lunch at the club the other week and was interested in what he had been up to.

"Well," Ryan said, heaving a sigh, "I had dinner with Austin and his family the other day, but that was before we all had lunch together at the club. Still, it's the only real big thing that's happened. As you can tell, I lead an exciting life."

"The dinner must have been fun, though, yeah?" Troy asked.

"I don't know if fun is how I would phrase it," Ryan said, looking back over at his companion. "I spent most of the time dodging peas. Austin's brother and sister are demon spawn."

Troy laughed at the mental image Ryan's story created. "But you had Austin there with you to retaliate, didn't you?" he asked, thinking that was the most obvious situation. It's what he would have done.

"I wish," Ryan replied. "Austin and I argued about it after dinner. He doesn't think they could do it. I stick by my assumption that they are not children, but spawn of the devil." Ryan crossed his arms over his chest as he crossed his legs, giving the outward impression that the conversation on the matter of Austin's siblings was indeed over.

Troy put his hand on Ryan's shoulder in a show of sympathy. "Well, if we ever run into them together, I'll be sure to team up with you," Troy said. "We'll take on the evil together."

Ryan looked at Troy's hand on his shoulder and blushed. He never really knew how to deal with public displays of affection, regardless of whether they were just friendly or romantic. And even though this small gesture couldn't possibly be construed as romantic, the fact that it was Troy made the butterflies in Ryan's stomach start flying around like miniature concord jets. "Yeah," Ryan said, laughing to hide his nervousness, "I'm sure the big, bad Troy Bolton would take on a few 12-year-olds just to defend my honor."

"Hey, you've got to show those little kids who's boss or they'll just end up walking all over you," Troy said as if he had experience in dealing with kids like these. Then Ryan realized that he actually had. He gave golf lessons at Lava Springs, and if Ryan knew anything about rich little kids, he knew that they would probably be worse than Austin's siblings.

"Well, I'll let you be my knight in shining armor next time all of us cross paths at the same time," Ryan said.

Troy laughed and removed his hand from his friend's shoulder and the two continued talking amicably for several more minutes. They were planning another round of golf when Austin emerged from the clothing store. He looked over and saw the two of them sitting together on the bench and found his blood boiling. Rationally, he knew the two were just talking, but he knew about the crush Ryan harbored and he didn't want anything coming between the two of them, not even a friendship.

He could tell after their last night together that something was off with Ryan. He didn't put any effort into their lovemaking. In fact, Austin was hard-pressed to even call it that. He couldn't bring himself to call something that only had one willing participant in it lovemaking. Earlier he had thought that something so intimate could only bring the two of them closer together, but now he didn't even know if that was working. But he wasn't going to let all his hard work go to waste just so the brown-haired god could steal away his man. He had to show this Troy Bolton exactly who he was up against and that he would not go down without a fight.

"Ryan!" he yelled from his place at the entrance of the store. He watched as Ryan's head turned in his direction and then stood up from the bench. "Can you come here and grab one of these bags for me?"

Ryan walked away from Troy and the bench and up to his boyfriend who stopped to place a languid kiss on his cheek. He knew Ryan wasn't a fan of public displays of affection, but he had to stake his claim in front of Troy, and that meant being overtly obvious in how he interacted with his boyfriend. As soon as the kiss was placed on Ryan's cheek, he felt the shorter blond tense, but he didn't care. He chanced a look over at Troy who was still sitting on the bench and was glad to see that his face was flushed and he was trying his hardest to look anywhere but at the couple.

Austin held out a bag for Ryan to carry and then lifted up another one himself before linking arms with his boyfriend and walking back over to Troy and the rest of his purchases. "Hello, Troy," he said, unlocking his elbow from Ryan's and extending his free hand to shake with Troy. "I didn't expect to run into you today."

"Yeah," Troy said, standing up from the bench and taking Austin's proffered hand and shaking it soundly. "Well, I wasn't really planning on coming to the mall and then it was just coincidence running into Ryan here."

Ryan noticed the appraising look his boyfriend gave Troy and knew that the interaction between them all wasn't going to be anything good. He also knew, however, that there was nothing he could do to stop it, so he just heaved a sigh and listened as Austin began speaking again.

"It just seems that whenever I try to spend time with my boyfriend, here," he said, as he put his arm around Ryan and brought him close to the side of his body, "you show up. You're not trying to steal him away from me, are you?"

Well, Ryan had been expecting something, but he certainly hadn't expected that. He spluttered for a second and cast a glance over at Troy to make sure that he wasn't offended or anything before looking back at his boyfriend. "Austin," he said. "Troy is straight. And there is nothing going on. You're just embarrassing me and yourself every time you say something like that."

"I'm just pointing out what everyone else is probably already thinking," Austin said in his defense, still holding his boyfriend tightly around the waist. "If I were the jealous type of boyfriend, I don't think I would allow you to hang out alone with Troy all the time."

"What do you mean not allow me to hang out with Troy?" Ryan asked angrily, removing Austin's hand from around his waist and turned to face his boyfriend. "What gives you the right to tell me who I can or cannot hang out with?"

Now, if Troy was feeling awkward when he saw Austin kiss Ryan, words couldn't describe his feelings right now. He shuffled nervously as he watched Ryan stare down his boyfriend. Austin on the other hand, looked calm, which was even more disturbing.

"Oh come on, babe," Austin started, but was cut off by Ryan, who started speaking again.

"Don't try to 'oh babe' me, Austin," Ryan said, swatting away Austin's hand, which was trying to wrap itself back around his waist. "You have no right saying anything like that to me."

"Ryan," Austin started again, trying to placate his boyfriend. He had obviously crossed a line that he didn't know was going to upset the blond so much. "You know I didn't—"

But he was cut off again. "Look," Ryan said, "I don't want to talk about this anymore. I just want to go home. Grab your bags and let's go."

Troy watched the whole situation unfold in front of him, wishing he didn't have to hear everything that was going on, but unable to actually stop. It was like a car wreck. After Ryan's last line, however, he felt the perfect opportunity to bail. "Yeah, you know I should get going, too," he said.

Ryan looked up and Troy could tell from the look in his eyes that he wanted to apologize, but more than he wanted to apologize he wanted to leave. He mouthed 'I'm sorry' to Troy and then turned on his heel to walk away. Troy looked down at Austin who was still gathering his bags and nodded to him when he glanced up before taking off in the opposite direction Ryan had just gone.

HSM•••HSM

Troy walked in through his front door and tossed his car keys on a nearby table. He was glad the house was quiet; it was a good sign his mother wasn't home. Right now, he just wanted to be in silence. He hadn't even turned on the radio in his truck on the way back from the mall. For some reason, he just wanted to be kept company by his thoughts—and boy did he have a lot of them.

He had really been weirded out at the mall when he saw Austin being overly affectionate with Ryan. And that bothered him. He thought himself to be a very tolerant person, so he didn't understand why the two of them kissing would make him feel so weird. He thought back to the moment when he saw Austin go in for the kiss. He could tell by Ryan's reaction that he didn't really want to be affectionate in public, but he couldn't understand why when he saw them kissing he couldn't look away fast enough.

He wasn't really a fan of ridiculous public displays of affection, but he couldn't argue with a little kiss here and a little hand holding there. But as soon as Austin's lips touched Ryan's cheek, he couldn't find another place to look fast enough.

Maybe he just didn't like watching two guys being affectionate. That thought had passed through his head a few times, but he couldn't accept it. Sure, he had been surprised when Ryan actually came out to him, but that fact didn't change his opinion on the blond. The only reason he was surprised was because he had never taken a moment to consider Ryan as a sexual being—and why would he? He was dating Gabriella and had been for almost nine months. Now, apparently, that had changed. Maybe his breaking up with Gabriella had caused Troy's perspective on relationships in general to change.

He was just so frustrated. He walked into the kitchen and over to the refrigerator and opened the door. He looked around and rummaged through some leftover foods before deciding to just take a bottle of water. He unscrewed the cap and took a long drag from the bottle before putting the cap back on and standing still in the middle of the empty room. Why was this bugging him so much?

He was friends with Ryan. Ryan had a boyfriend. Troy used to have a girlfriend. He was pretty sure that Ryan never had any problem when Troy used to kiss Gabriella. So he couldn't wrap his head around why he kept thinking about Ryan kissing someone else.

He placed the bottle on the counter, no longer wanting anything to drink. He leaned against the tiled surface and ran his hands through his hair, which, by the way, needed to be cut soon. He was trying to think of something to do that would distract him from his thoughts when he heard the front door to the house open. Several seconds later, he watched as his mom came in, carrying several paper bags full of groceries.

"Oh!" she said in surprise when she turned around and noticed her son standing in the middle of what she thought was going to be an empty room. "I didn't know you would be in here."

"I was just thinking about something," he replied.

At hearing that, the Bolton matriarch set the bags she was carrying on the counter and took a good look at her son. "Is there anything you want to talk about?" she asked, ignoring her son's sigh. "You look as though something is bothering you and I know you usually think I'm just being a nagging old mom, but sometimes I might surprise you and actually know what I'm talking about. Especially when it comes to teenage angst."

Troy gave his mom a look. "I am not being angsty," he said. "If anything, I'm being contemplative. And I'd rather not discuss it with my mom, if that's okay with you."

His mom held up her hands in a surrendering motion. "Okay, okay," she said. "Don't get your panties in a bunch."

Troy shot his mom a look that clearly said that he was not amused by her foray into humor. "Look, mom," he said, pushing off from the counter and motioning to leave the room, "I'm just thinking about some things, and I promise if I ever want or need to talk about it, you'll be the first person I go to."

"Okay, honey," his mom said as she watched him walk out of the kitchen. She just shook her head. Something was going on with her son, and she didn't even know if he knew what it was. She could only hope that when he did figure it out he would do what he said and come to her.

HSM•••HSM

Ryan hadn't waited for Austin to catch up with him as he left the mall. He was just so pissed. There was no reason why Austin should have acted like that in front of Troy. No reason whatsoever. Troy had never done anything to him and Ryan had never given him any reason to act like such a possessive jerk. Not to mention the fact that he was pretty sure Troy would want nothing to do with him anymore when he had such an incredibly psychotic boyfriend.

And he had just started to become friends with Troy. But why would he want to continue doing that if he had to deal with Austin who didn't have any problems with being out-and-out rude to him whenever they were with each other. He could feel the sting of tears at his eyes as he was walking through the parking lot to his car. He had finally started becoming content with his life and the direction it was taking, and Austin had just tried his damnedest to throw it all into disarray. Why couldn't he just have this one thing? It's not like he was asking for the impossible, asking for Troy to be in love with him. All he wanted was the friendship. He didn't even care if his boyfriend was a jealous ass hole, as long as it didn't interfere with that one thing. That one, small, important thing.

And then it hit him. Like a ton of bricks, it hit him. He stopped in the middle of the parking lot and stood still for a moment. It finally made sense to him. Everything that Kelsi had said, everything that Gabriella, Troy and Sharpay had been talking about when they spoke about relationships. If he wasn't willing to put his boyfriend above everything else, if something as little as a newly formed friendship with someone else was more important to him than his established romantic relationship, then maybe that wasn't what he was looking for. Maybe he was staying in this relationship for all the wrong reasons—something all his friends had been talking about since they started this whole relationship shuffle more than a week earlier.

And that realization caused him to understand what his sister had been talking about all those weeks ago. He really was stringing Austin along. There was no way he would ever be able to give Austin what he wanted, and by staying in the relationship he was just giving his boyfriend a false hope and making the whole situation that much more messy. He wasn't doing anybody any favors, least of all himself. If he wanted the opportunity to find that one person he really, truly wanted to be with, then he would have to give up the temporary comfort that being in a relationship right now was giving him.

He slowly began walking again. His hands were shaking and his steps weren't really all that sure, but he knew what he had to do. He just didn't know how he was going to get through it.

He finally reached his car and unlocked it, swinging the driver's side door open slowly and gently seating himself in the car. A few moments later he heard the passenger's door open and a slightly winded Austin plop himself down along with all of his bags. Ryan quietly closed his door, followed by Austin. He shakily put the key in the ignition and started the car. They had still said nothing to one another.

Ryan pulled out of his parking spot and slowly started driving out of the parking lot. As the drive continued, Ryan could tell that Austin was nervous. He kept fidgeting with his bags and the seatbelt and was trying his hardest to not look over at him. He knew he had done wrong. Ryan wasn't about to put him out of his misery, though. He thought his boyfriend could use a little while to stew. Of course, things probably weren't going to go over well when they decided to speak anyway.

After a while, Austin finally decided to speak up. "Look, babe," he started, "I really am sorry about what happened back there. I just get so jealous sometimes and I know that you've had a crush on Troy for such a long time. I just don't know what to think when I see you with him."

"You should think that I would never cheat on you, that's what you should think," Ryan said a bit testily. "But I really don't want to talk about this right now."

"But babe," Austin protested. "We have to talk about it. I don't want you to stay mad at me."

"I know," Ryan said. "But I still don't wan to talk about it."

Austin finally took the hint and closed his mouth, sitting back in his chair and staring out the windshield. He didn't say another word for the rest of the trip, which would have been awkward if it was any longer than 10 minutes.

As Ryan pulled into Austin's driveway, he shifted his car into park and finally turned to face his boyfriend. He took a deep breath before speaking. "I don't think this is working," he said. At first he didn't think Austin heard him because of the lack of reaction, but then when his boyfriend turned to face him, he could see the resignation in his eyes.

"I knew this was going to come sooner or later," the blond said. "I just hoped I would be able to convince you of something else before you realized it."

That actually surprised Ryan. He had expected begging, yelling, maybe even some crying. But he certainly wasn't expecting a calm Austin. It actually kind of unnerved him a bit. A mad Austin, he could deal with; but he wasn't so sure about this sad and resigned Austin.

"Just tell me it wasn't because of what happened today at the mall," Austin said. "Because if it is, I think you should really reconsider. I can work on the whole jealousy thing. I really can."

There it was. There was the Austin he knew. "It's not about what happened today," Ryan said, giving his now ex-boyfriend a sad smile. "What happened today just made me think about things I've been putting off for a while now."

"Oh," Austin said, looking down at his lap. "You've been thinking about this for a while then?"

The tone of Austin's voice made Ryan empathize with him. It wasn't going to make him reconsider, but he could understand why he was upset. It was always sad when something you had seen as a huge part of your life goes away. "I haven't been thinking about it," Ryan said. "I just felt like there was something missing. I thought that if I just pushed my feelings aside whatever it was would have just fixed itself. But it didn't. And I Just realized that I couldn't keep doing this. We would have just ended up hating each other. And I don't want that."

"Ah," Austin mumbled. "I guess I just need to know one thing before I go. You're not seeing Troy are you? I don't know if I could handle that right now. Although I couldn't really blame you for wanting it."

Ryan let out a sigh. "Look," he said. "I've told you a million times. Nothing is going on between me and Troy. He is as straight as straight can be. It hurts me more that you would think I'd actually do that to you. Even if I don't love you, I'm not a bad person. I would never do something like that."

"I know, I know," Austin said, rubbing his forehead. "I just, I don't know, I hate that this is ending. And I hate that it's not even because of someone else. I can't even be angry at you for all of this. And that's what's so frustrating."

"I know," Ryan said. "But I can't help what I feel."

"I know," Austin said. He then gathered all his bags and opened the door. Before he got out, however, he turned to look at Ryan one last time. "Is there any way I can talk you out of this?"

"I don't think so," Ryan said, shaking his head softly.

"Well," Austin started, "you can't blame me for trying." And then he started getting out of the idling car. Once he had gotten all his bags, he made to close the door, but hesitated for a moment and then stuck his head back down. "If you ever want to give it another go, I'll be waiting for you. I love you, Ryan."

"I know," Ryan said. It was all he could do. Austin gave him one last sad smile before shutting the door and walking up to his house. Ryan watched until Austin had entered the building before putting the car back into gear and pulling out.

HSM•••HSM

Ryan walked into the living room to find his sister sitting on the couch, flipping through the television channels. He had just pulled his car into the garage a few minutes before. He stopped to watch his sister for a moment before he spoke up to alert her of his presence. "I broke up with Austin," he said.

Sharpay's head turned so quickly, Ryan thought she had surely given herself whiplash. Her eyes searched through the dark room to find where her brother's voice had come from. When she found him, her eyes softened and she patted the spot next to her on the sofa.

Ryan walked over to where his sister was seated and plopped down next to her. He brought his legs under his body and leaned against Sharpay. "So, you finally did it?" she asked. "I didn't think you were ever going to break up with him, that you'd just spend the rest of the year stringing him along and then use college as an excuse to break up."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Ryan replied.

"It's not that," Sharpay started clarifying. "I just didn't think you'd ever realize what everybody else already knows."

Ryan lifted his head off his sister's shoulder to look at her questioningly. "And what exactly does everyone know that I don't?"

"Didn't," Sharpay restated. "I didn't think you'd ever realize that Austin wasn't the one for you. Everybody else could see that. I know for a fact that both Kelsi and Zeke have talked to you about this. I just thought you would remain oblivious to all of that for a little bit longer."

"I guess I'll have to remember never to tell Kelsi or Zeke any big life secrets anymore if the first thing they do is run and tell you," Ryan said, shoving his sister playfully.

"It's not like I gave them much of an option," Sharpay said, laughing. But he probably already knew that his friends would never give up any secrets about him without Sharpay putting her Prada-clad foot down and pumping them for information.

"I just knew that I didn't love him," Ryan said, changing the course of their conversation. "And I couldn't ignore it anymore. I was beginning to not like him, and I didn't want that to happen."

"Well, you can't force love," Sharpay said. "And it's best that you realized that now instead of later. It would have just made everything a whole lot messier in the end."

"You're telling me," Ryan said. "It's not like Austin is the most calm person to begin with. Can you imagine if we had kept dating and then I broke it off with him because I found someone else?"

"There would be a lot of yelling," Sharpay said. "He'd probably end up giving me a run for my money."

The two of them laughed at that and continued talking for a while before they settled down to watch some stupid infomercial that had caught their attention. "Do you think mom would ever let us get one of those bullet thingies?" Ryan asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Sharpay asked looking over at Ryan with shock plastered across her face. That look was wiped off, however, when she saw the laughter in Ryan's eyes. She then shoved him off the couch and resumed watching the television program.

**A/N: And here is chapter eight! I wanted to get this chapter up really quickly to kind of make up/apologize about not getting a chapter up last week. And look! Austin and Ryan are finished! What's going to happen now? And what is going through Troy's head? Questions that we will be addressing soon, friends.**

**Thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter. Please don't forget to review! They let me know what you all are thinking and give me ideas for how to improve later chapters.**

**Please enjoy!**


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

Ryan was walking to his yoga class, his mat under his arm. He hadn't done much over the weekend, preferring to stay in the house and watch TV with his sister or his mother after his break up with Austin.

Ryan's mother had been sad for her son when he announced to her and his father that he had ended his relationship with his boyfriend. But as Ryan had found out later it wasn't because he had ended the relationship, rather it was because she still held on to the idealized concept that giving one's virginity away was the biggest gift one could give to another. She was just sad that he had given that to someone he didn't love.

And if he were honest with himself, he would admit that he could have been smarter about certain things, but he didn't necessarily regret having sex with his ex-boyfriend. If he was going to lose his virginity to someone, he was glad it was with someone he knew and trusted rather than it being some random person he met later in life. The relationship may not have worked out, but there wasn't much to regret from it, other than the fact that he risked alienating Austin because he refused to let go of something that obviously wasn't working.

His mom thought he would have been more broken up by the whole situation, even after he had the chance to explain the whole situation to her. She stayed in close proximity to him for the rest of the weekend under the guise that she wasn't feeling well, but Ryan knew she was hanging in close just in case he finally broke down over the whole situation. Apparently his mom didn't put much stock into Ryan being able to accurately describe his own emotions. But that was what most moms did, so it didn't put him off much. Besides, she was more than willing to get him anything he wanted all weekend long, and he utilized that fully.

But, because of his mother's insistency that they be near one another, there was no way he was going to be able to skip out on their yoga class today. Not that he really wanted to skip out, but he'd have to be more intentional of what he said and how he acted around her, lest she take it out of context. He really didn't want to have to deal with that.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he wasn't paying attention as he walked through the corridor leading to one of the workout rooms that he didn't even notice until he collided with someone. Fortunately for him, the person he ran into was able to grab a hold of him by the arms and keep him from falling to the ground. When he looked up, his eyes locked onto the stunningly blue ones of the Troy Bolton. His face heated up as he righted himself and he straightened his clothing.

"We have to stop running into each other this way," Troy said, laughing. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were planning all of this."

That caused Ryan to blush even harder before he got something out. "I was just thinking about my mom, she hasn't left me alone all weekend."

Troy furrowed his brow in confusion. "What's going on with that?" he asked, not really understanding why his mom wasn't leaving him alone.

"She thinks I'm going to fall apart at any moment ever since I told her that I broke up with Austin last week," Ryan said, not really focusing on Troy as he wasn't really interested in telling the story anymore than he'd already gone over it with his mom.

"You and Austin broke up?" Troy asked, sounding genuinely concerned. That caused Ryan to look up at his friend. He hadn't expected Troy to sound so upset about the dissolution of his own relationship.

"I—uh, yeah," he stuttered out quickly. "Things just weren't working out between the two of us and I didn't think it would be good to stay in the relationship, you know? I didn't want to end up hating him or anything."

Troy nodded, seeming to understand the explanation Ryan gave. "Yeah," he said. "How did Austin take it?" That was apparently the ultimate question. Everyone he had talked to so far about the break up had asked him that, some multiple times, not really believing that Austin could have taken the break up as well as he did. Apparently Troy was one of those people. Then again, he had good reason to be seeing as how the only interactions he'd had with Austin hadn't necessarily been the most pleasant.

"He actually took it better than I expected," Ryan said. "He said he knew it was coming, so I guess he had already prepared himself for it."

The two friends stood there in silence for a moment, contemplating what all had just been said. Then it was almost as like a light bulb went off in Troy's head. He looked up at Ryan with a wide smile spread across his face. "Hey," he started, "we're both single now, and Taylor and Kelsi are out of town for something, I don't know, Chad was just talking about it," then he caught himself going off course, "anyway, why don't we have a guy's night out?"

Ryan didn't know what to think. He had never really spent a ton of time with "the guys" before. He'd always considered himself more or less one of the girls, not because of the fact that he was gay, just because he seemed to get along with them more easily. His thoughts must have played across his face because before he could even come up with a response, Troy was pulling on his arm and giving him some puppy dog eyes.

"Come on, Ry," he said. Ryan really liked that Troy used a nickname with him, but that was beside the point. "It'll be a lot of fun. We can all go grab something to eat and then go to that 18 and over club downtown. There will be dancing and music and just something to get our minds off of life."

There was no way Ryan could argue with Troy when he seemed so thrilled with the idea. So he shrugged his shoulders and nodded his assent. Troy just smiled and clapped him on the back before starting to walk our toward the kitchen area.

"I'll call you after I get off work," he said, waving as he walked. "Have fun with your mom in yoga."

Ryan offered a little wave that he was sure Troy hadn't seen. He let a little smile form on his face. He was going to spend an evening of fun with Troy. That was reason enough to smile.

HSM•••HSM

Ryan pulled into the parking lot of the pizza restaurant in Troy's truck. The two of them had left the country club together after Troy got off work, the thought behind it being that it would just be easier to carpool than to leave and meet up at a later time. Ryan didn't realize, however, that he would be putting his life in Troy's hands as soon as he stepped foot in the dilapidated truck.

He sat in the passenger seat as Troy walked around the truck to open the door for him. And as chivalrous as that sounded, he was really only doing it out of necessity. He hadn't gotten around to fixing the handle on the inside of the truck, and was a little embarrassed as he had to explain that fact to Ryan, who he knew had higher expectations to many of the things in life when it came to him and his friends.

Ryan smiled as he hopped out of the truck. He could tell that Troy was embarrassed, but he didn't really mind that much about the ride there. The only thing he was really worried about was the seatbelt and the fact that he had to tie it around himself before tying it in a knot so that it would hold himself in place.

The two approached the restaurant where Chad, Zeke and Jason were already waiting for them. Chad didn't have to work that day and Zeke and Jason were only working half days, so they had decided to go early and get a table and order so that they could get dinner over with quickly before heading out on the town for the rest of guys' night.

As they reached the building Troy reached out ahead of them and held the door open as Ryan walked in front of him. They walked into the waiting area and looked around the dining area, spotting the three of their friends in a booth toward the back of the area. Troy shot up his hand and waved to them before looking over at Ryan and nodding in the direction of their friends. Ryan nodded in response and the two walked over to the table that was already adorned with a rather large pizza, and looked to have every topping imaginable on it.

Ryan didn't know how the guys expected o finish everything, especially since he was probably only going to have one piece before claiming to be full. Besides, he was probably going to pick most of the toppings off anyway. He wasn't much for any toppings other than cheese. But he also wasn't one to complain; he was out to have a good night with his friends and he wasn't going to let a few pizza toppings change any of that.

"Hey guys," Troy said as he pulled out a chair and seated himself, motioning for Ryan to do the same thing. "Sorry we're late. Fulton held me up just as I was leaving, but Ryan took care of things."

"You just have to know how to scare him," Ryan replied, smiling at Troy. It really wasn't that big of a deal, but the way Troy talked about it once they had gotten in his car, you'd have thought that Ryan had taken on a great evil.

The two settled into the group of friends and Chad passed them each a piece of pizza. Troy tucked into his with gusto, while Ryan began quietly picking off the toppings that he didn't want. When Troy was almost finished with his first piece, he noticed that Ryan hadn't even taken a bite of his. "Is there something wrong with the pizza?" Troy asked, looking over at his friend.

"No," Ryan said quickly. "I just like plain old cheese pizza."

"You should have said something," Troy said. "I would have made sure that we had something here that you would like."

"It's no problem," Ryan said. "Besides, everyone else here wants this kind. I don't mind picking stuff off."

Troy gave him a look that said he didn't really buy what Ryan was saying, but Ryan just gave a shrug and went back to clearing off his pizza. All the while Chad was watching the two interact with growing interest.

"So, Ryan," Chad started after Troy seemed to be distracted enough by a conversation with Jason and Zeke about some of the basketball players at the University of Albuquerque, "what's going on with this club we're supposed to be going to tonight? It's not a … gay club, is it?"

Ryan couldn't help but laugh at the look Chad was giving him. It was almost as if he was scared that he'd have to defend his honor against all the gay men he could come into contact with. "No," Ryan said, still laughing. "It's definitely not a gay club. You don't think I'm dumb enough to have four straight guys accompany me to a gay club, do you? It's guys' night. Not Ryan's night."

"I'm not saying I have anything against it, I was just wondering," Chad said, trying to cover up his nervousness. "Besides, I've never heard of this place before. I thought I knew of all of the 18 and over places around here."

"Well," Ryan started after taking a quick drink of his soda. "Feedback is pretty new. I think it just opened up a few weeks ago. The only reason I know about it is because my dad knows the guy who owns it."

"Oh," Chad said, still awed sometimes by the fact that Ryan and his family seemed to know any and everybody in their hometown. "Then I guess you're going to be able to get us the VIP treatment tonight."

Ryan laughed again. "I'll do what I can," he said.

The two continued chatting and eating until Troy turned back toward them. "When do you guys want to head on over to the club?" Chad just shrugged his shoulders and turned to Ryan.

"Well," he started. "It's like 8:30 p.m. now, which is still early, but we could go there now and scope out a good booth or something and then have some fun when the people start showing up."

Troy smiled. "Sounds like a plan," he said. "Let's get going."

The five friends got up and began walking out toward their cars, Zeke, Chad and Jason heading over to Zeke's car while Troy and Ryan walked over to Troy's. Troy was going to be leading the group with Ryan, as the blond was the only person who actually knew where they were all going.

HSM•••HSM

At 11:30 p.m., Feedback was a truly busy place. Loud music was pulsating from the speakers in every corner of the club. Lights were strobing on the dance floor and people were in every inch of the place. Ryan had been right. They had practically been the first people in the nightclub when they had arrived right after dinner. But it did give them the chance to scope everything out and get a booth that was pretty close to both the bar and the dance floor.

Chad, who was feeling pretty good at the moment, ambled over to where Zeke and Jason were sitting and laughing. When he reached his two friends, he plopped himself down next to them in the booth they had been occupying for the last few hours. "Man," Chad said, grabbing one of the glasses on the table and taking a quick drink. "Who knew that Ryan could be this cool, huh?"

"Ryan's not just cool because he was able to get us alcohol at a club, Chad," Zeke said, not really liking how that had come out of his friend.

It was true, Ryan, who seemingly knew everyone, also knew the bartender at Feedback and was able to get them all a round of drinks when they first got there. That one round of drinks had eventually turned into two, and then three and then more. But they were all having a great time. Ryan had even convinced Zeke and Chad to come out on the dance floor several times.

"That's not what I meant, dude," Chad said defensively; he really had meant what he said, and not just because of the whole alcohol arrangement. "I just didn't know that Ryan would be into all this kind of stuff. I thought he was always pretty straight laced, you know? Like, I never expected him to drink with us."

"People can always surprise you," Jason spoke up. He was the only one Ryan had not been able to get out on the dance floor. "Like Troy. I didn't know he would be one to let Ryan drag him out onto the dance floor. I thought he just saved that stuff for the theater stage."

Chad nodded at his friend; he had wondered the same thing. He had noticed all evening the interactions between Troy and Ryan and he didn't quite understand what he was seeing. But more than that, he didn't know if the other two understood just what they were portraying to the rest of the world. By all accounts, it looked as though Troy and Ryan were a perfectly normal gay high school couple. The only problem with that being the obvious fact that they were both neither gay or in a relationship with one another. But that hadn't stopped Troy from being close to his blond friend the entire evening, accompanying him out on the dance floor, and if Chad cared to think about it, even got a little protective of Ryan whenever another guy came up to him and tried to get the blond to dance with him. Lucky for Troy, Chad thought, Ryan seemed to be oblivious to anybody else besides his friends. He had turned down all of the offers that came his way that evening, and still kept trying to get all of his friends to go with him out on the dance floor.

"Maybe it's just the alcohol making him do crazy things," Chad mused to the rest of the table, not really believing it even as he said it, but not being able to come up with a more adequate explanation. He just sat back in the booth, drink in hand, and continued to watch the people around him, but his gaze always going back to his two friends.

Back on the dance floor, where the music was loudest, the two boys on Chad's mind could be seen dancing around one another. Not close enough to suggest a romantic relationship, but close enough to let other people know that they were dancing with one another. Ryan had his eyes closed and just let the beat and rhythm of the music run through him as he danced. He really did love performing and rehearsing dance steps, but he could never seem to get enough of just letting the music take over his body. Dancing always seemed most natural to him when he didn't have to think about it, and that's exactly what he did whenever he went to a dance club.

Periodically, he would open his eyes and take a look at the brunet dancing a few feet away from him. Troy, who could pull off moves on stage didn't seem to be all that natural at just letting the music take over, but that might have also had something to do with the fact that he really hadn't been drinking anything that evening, and he had never actually been to the club before. Ryan smirked as he saw Troy move his legs and sway his arms in restrained, measured movements. He didn't look anything like he did on stage, but he still looked adorable to the blond.

Ryan's eyes widened and he shook his heads at his thoughts. He couldn't let his daydreams interfere with his friendship, even though he really didn't mind. Troy was just his friend and he had never pretended to be anything else.

He was just getting back into his grove when someone moving through the crowd bumped up against him and sent him lurching forward. He was fairly certain, thanks mostly to the alcohol, because Ryan was generally a well-coordinated individual, he would have fallen face-first into the ground if not for the strong arms that wrapped around his upper-torso. After reorienting himself, Ryan looked up to thank the person who had saved him from a very public embarrassment and came face to face with Troy's crystal blue eyes.

"You must think I'm the clumsiest person alive," Ryan said as Troy helped him steady himself. "I literally run into at the club almost every day and then I practically fall on top of you while we're dancing. You may not want to hang around me anymore. I think I'm a danger to your health."

Troy laughed and then stepped away from his friend when he was sure that Ryan would be able to stand on his own. "I guess you could say it's a risk I'm willing to take," he said. "Besides, you couldn't have stopped that guy running through here like a maniac."

The two of them went back to dancing, not talking to one another but not looking away either. "Are you having a good time at least?" Ryan finally asked after he could no longer stand the silence. "I mean, I know this really isn't your thing, and you're not even drinking, so I don't really know how good of a time you're having—"

"Ryan," Troy said, effectively cutting the blond off from his nervous rambling, "I'm having a great time. Even if I'm not drinking, and even though dancing really isn't my thing. I'm having fun, so don't worry."

Ryan smiled warmly at his friend and then quickly caught the beat of the song that was playing. He was quickly losing himself in the music when he glanced over at Troy, just in time to watch him make yet another awkward move. He laughed as he moved a little closer and held out his hands to the brunet's hips. "Troy," he said, halting his friend's movements. "Dancing, real dancing, is not something you plan out like a play in basketball. It's something you feel. Stop jerking your hips and throwing out your arms and let the music actually speak to you."

Troy frowned at Ryan, not really getting what he was saying and Ryan could tell. "Here," he said, not taking his eyes from Troy's and leaving his hands placed gently on his hips. "As soon as I stop talking, close your eyes, listen to the music and follow my hands and just let the music take over. You'll like it a lot more and you'll look less like the goofball that you are."

Troy smirked at the last comment, but he did as Ryan said. He closed his eyes and let the beat of the bass fill his senses. He felt the pressure that Ryan was gently applying to his hips and just let himself go. Soon, he was moving smoothly back and forth. He smiled to himself as he realized he wasn't actually looking like someone with body spasms anymore. He opened his eyes, hoping to catch Ryan's gaze, but found that his blond friend also had his eyes closed. Troy just stared at him for a few moments, taking in his features, noticing how relaxed and at peace with himself he seemed. Troy let a small smile play across his lips before once again closing his eyes and losing himself in the music, never making a comment on the fact that Ryan's hands never left his hips.

HSM•••HSM

Ryan felt his body being jostled. Then he felt the light haze of pain. He tried to bury his head further in the softy down of his pillow, but apparently that was not enough to fend of the impending earthquake on his bed. He turned over slowly, still keeping his eyes shut, afraid that if he opened them and let the light in, he would spend the rest of the day feeling the light, hazy pain of a hangover. Which was another thing Ryan had a beef about. He hadn't even really drank a lot the night before, and here he was with a hangover, however slight it actually was.

But that was besides the point. Which was, of course, that he needed to find out the source of the mini-quake on his bed. He finally cracked open his eyes, allowing just the smallest amount of light in, and scanned his bed for his sanctuary's intruder.

His eyes finally fell on a petite frame and then scanned up and down the body, taking in the brightly colored clothing and the long brown hair. He wasn't able to put things together until he heard his guest speaking—he just blamed it on the hangover.

"I thought I was going to have to throw you off your bed to finally get you to wake up," Gabriella said. "I've been here for more than five minutes and you haven't even made a move. You must have had one great evening last night."

"Actually," Ryan said, throwing his head back down on his pillow and his arm over his face, his voice thick with sleep and the gross cotton-mouth feeling that usually accompanied a night of drinking. "I did have a good night. We all went to that new nightclub that opened up. I knew the bartender there and he got us a few drinks."

"Which explains your chipper demeanor this morning," Gabriella cut in, a knowing smile on her face. "What about everyone else? I know you're a lightweight, but what about the other guys?"

"The only person I couldn't get out onto the dance floor was Jason," Ryan said, smiling at the memories of the previous night. "Chad refused at first, but I coaxed him out. But Troy was out on the floor almost as much as me. You should have seen him, though, he was moving like a robot. He wouldn't just—"

But then he caught himself, remembering that Troy and Gabriella had broken up and he still wasn't too sure about how he was supposed to navigate the relationship between himself and Gabriella and the emerging one with Troy. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't," he started, only to be cut off by Gabriella shaking her head and holding up a hand.

"It's okay," she said. "You don't have to censor yourself around me because you two are friends. Even though we're not dating anymore, it's not like we aren't friends. You don't have to be so awkward about it."

Ryan sat silently on his bed for a moment processing the information. "Speaking of awkward," he said after a moment. "How did you get into my bedroom before I even woke up?"

Gabriella laughed and got up from the bed, motioning for Ryan to do the same. "Your sister let me in," she said, moving over toward Ryan's closet, presumably to start picking out something for him to wear.

"Figures," Ryan mumbled under his breath.

As he got up from his bed, he looked over at Gabriella, who was currently rummaging through his clothes. He was so grateful to have her as his friend. She had been the first person he had come out to; she had been there for him over the summer when it appeared that even his sister had abandoned him. She never asked anything more from him that he was willing to give and she never judged him for the sometimes-crazy things that he did. And so with all of that, he couldn't really justify not telling her about his crush on Troy, especially since they were no longer dating and there was obviously no chance for him with the brown-haired Adonis.

"Gabby," he said while approaching her. "There's something I need to tell you."

The tone with which he spoke his last sentence made it so that Gabriella turned around, hanger still in hand, with a concerned look on her face. "Is it something bad?" she asked.

"I hope not," Ryan replied, stopping just in front of her. "I feel like it's something I have to tell you, but I don't want you to be angry with me."

"Well," Gabriella said, setting the hanger down. "Give it the band aid treatment. Good and fast."

Ryan, not one for mincing words anyway, decided to do just that. "I have a crush on Troy," he said quickly, closing his eyes and turning his face away from his friend, as if he was embarrassed by telling her. "Actually, I've had one for a long, long time."

After a moment of silence, Ryan opened his eyes and dared a glance over at his friend. What he saw confused him even more. She was smiling.

"I hope you weren't afraid that I'd be upset about that," she said, sensing Ryan's nervousness and confusion. "I mean, I can hardly blame you for having a crush on him. He's nice, talented and funny."

"Not to mention absolutely gorgeous," Ryan said before even thinking about it. He immediately blushed.

"Well," Gabriella said, still smiling. "That's true, too. Now, come on. We need to get you ready so we can go to the mall. I have a shoe sale to tackle and you have to let me know if I'm wasting my money or not."

Ryan smiled, glad that he had been able to get that off his chest and that Gabriella had taken it all in stride. He didn't know if he could have dealt with her not accepting what he had to say. But he quickly pushed that to the back of his mind. Like Gabriella said, he had some serious shopping business he had to focus on now.

**A/N: Gosh! Every time I get one chapter up it seems like I apologize for the wait, then I get another chapter out in two or three days, then there's another two weeks before another chapter. This time, though, I feel like I have a valid reason. I'm on spring break and have had no internet until today. So, here is the next chapter. I really hope you all enjoy it. You'll notice that there is plenty of Troy/Ryan interaction in it.**

**And even though I can't promise to have the next chapter up in a timely manner, I will try my damnedest to get things out on a more regular basis. Anyway, I really, really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Things are really going to get fun in the next few chapters. Please don't give up on me … and, as always, please review!**

**Thank you so much!**


	10. Interlude

**INTERLUDE**

"Wait," Kaden said, interrupting Ryan in the middle of talking about shoe shopping with his high school friend. "You mean to tell me that you actually told Troy's ex-girlfriend about your having a crush on him?"

When the blond nodded, Kaden just shook his head and leaned back against his boyfriend's chest. It was interesting hearing about how Troy and Ryan had actually gone together. He knew most of the story beforehand, but he had never heard it told with as much detail before and he couldn't help but find funny some of the things Ryan felt were important to the plot. But still he had to admit, telling Troy's ex about his crush required some major guts. "That takes some balls," he said.

"Yeah, well," Troy said, hugging Ryan closer to him on the opposite side of the sectional couch. "I can personally vouch for Ryan on the size of his."

Ryan scoffed and turned to smack Troy lightly on the arm. "Troy," he said in a whiney voice, "that was gross. Nobody wants to hear anything like that, so if you could kindly leave your colorful commentary to yourself, we'd all appreciate it."

Jordan snickered as Ryan reprimanded his boyfriend. Troy shot him a look to which he just shrugged. Watching the interplay between the two of them, you'd think Ryan was an uptight blushing virgin, but Jordan knew better. Oh, how he knew. Ryan wasn't exactly the quietest person when it came to sexual situations, and having spent a week with them over the summer as well as being friends with them during the last school year had shown Jordan just how much Ryan commanded the bedroom.

"So," Kaden started, bringing the conversation back around. "Did you ever think when you were dancing at the club that you would be dating by the end of the summer? Because I kind of have a hard time seeing it all fall into place myself, and I already know the outcome."

Troy and Ryan just looked at each other and smiled. "It never even crossed my mind," Troy said. "I just knew that something was changing. I mean, I had known Ry since kindergarten, but I had never really even been friends with him before the beginning of the summer, and even then, I had never thought of dating him, or any other guy for that matter. But I just couldn't get him out of my head, and I didn't know why."

"Didn't that confuse you at all?" Jordan asked. "I mean, I've known I was gay for a long, long time. But that wasn't so much the case with you. Didn't you have any emotional turmoil or anything?"

Troy laughed. He did have to admit that ending his relationship with Gabriella and beginning one with Ryan didn't take a lot of time, and under any other circumstance with any other support network, friends and family than he had, he probably would have debated and wrestled with himself probably until after he had graduated from high school, but that just wasn't the case for him. And he had to credit Ryan with some of that. He had never pressured him into anything and never demanded anything of him that he felt uncomfortable to give. And that in itself had helped Troy in finding out what it really was that he wanted.

"I don't know," Troy said in response to Kaden's question. "I just didn't have that much of a problem admitting to myself that I'm a Ryansexual."

That comment made Jordan burst out laughing. Kaden turned to quite him down, thinking the term of endearment was cute. During that time, Ryan turned to his boyfriend, a look in his eyes that held all the love in the world. He leaned up slowly and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

When they had all settled back down, Ryan spoke up again. "Well, do you want to finish this story before classes start next week or what? I believe I left off where I was shopping at the mall with Gabriella. She was looking at this one pair of shoes that just would not have complimented her body type, but luckily I was there to talk her out of them …"

HSM•••HSM

It had been a week since Ryan's excursion with the boys and things had been going wonderfully. He, Troy, Chad and Zeke were pretty much always hanging out, and when Chad went off with Taylor and Zeke with Sharpay (who was coincidentally warming up to Zeke), that left Troy with Ryan. And Ryan couldn't complain about that. The two of them would play a round of golf here or there, catch a movie or just hang around by the pool at the country club.

Life in general was going pretty well, too. Ryan didn't have to worry about anything regarding musicals or rehearsals, and with his sister preoccupied with another guy, Ryan found himself with more free time he knew what to do with. Thankfully, he also had a lot of new friends with whom to fill that time.

He still had his regular shopping dates with Gabriella and the two were busy having an overall great summer. She never passed up an opportunity to tease him about his crush on Troy, which Ryan took always took in stride considering she could have taken the whole thing much worse. At least she was willing to laugh with him about it. She always made sure to not make any comments when Troy was around, but that didn't stop her from making them as soon as he left the area.

The friendship he had with Gabriella was the first he had that was so natural and comfortable. He loved his sister to death, but he always knew there were some things he just didn't want to share with her for fear that she might use it to her advantage in one way or another. That didn't mean he loved his sister any less, he just understood how she operated and selectively chose to not tell her certain bits of information.

Surprisingly, Austin had kept his distance. He'd texted Ryan a few times for random things, but overall, he had given Ryan the space he'd asked for and hadn't tried to pressure him into something he knew he didn't want.

And then there was Troy. The brunet basketball star was beginning to creep his way into every nook and cranny of Ryan's life. He worked at the club his parents owned; they had the same friends, and they practically spent every waking moment with one another. It was a drastic change from what their relationship had been before the summer had started, and Ryan couldn't find a single thing to complain about … well, except for the fact that Troy wasn't busy making out with him, but he couldn't even find it in himself to complain about that. All in all, life was good.

Ryan had just gotten home from a jog and had taken a shower. Now, he was busy doing a whole lot of nothing, lying on the top of his bed. He thought maybe he'd just take a quick nap; it's not like he had any plans for the rest of the day.

He had just dozed off when the cell phone on his nightstand started ringing. He rolled over sluggishly and blindly groped for the phone, never taking his face out of his pillow. He finally grabbed a hold of it and brought it over to his head, answering without looking at the caller ID screen. "Hello?" he grumbled, his face still stuck in the down pillow.

"Hey, Ry, it's Troy," the voice over the phone said. "I was just wondering if you were busy with anything right now."

Ryan scrambled to sit up. Even though Troy couldn't see him, he still felt as though he needed to be presentable when talking to him. It was quirky, but it was Ryan. "Oh, no," he replied. "I'm not busy. Actually, I almost just fell asleep; that's how busy I am."

"Oh, I didn't mean to wake you," Troy said, sounding like he thought Ryan might be upset with him. "I was just sitting around at home and was wondering if you'd like to come over and watch a few movies."

Ryan smiled. Troy was just too cute sometimes. "It's no big deal," he said. "I was just sleeping because I had nothing better to do. But if you're offering a movie night, I could probably be talked into something."

"Oh cool," Troy said. Ryan could almost hear his smile through the phone. "Well, my dad is out of town for the weekend, so my mom decided to order some take out and just stay in for the evening. I thought you might want to join us."

"That sounds like a lot of fun," Ryan said, moving to get up off the bed and slip some different shorts on and some shoes. "What are you ordering and what time do you want me to show up?"

"Oh, well, we hadn't really decided on that yet," Troy explained. "Is there anything you feel like? Pizza? I know to only get cheese if that's what you want."

Ryan laughed; he had almost forgotten about the mess he had made when taking all the toppings off his piece of pizza before going to the club. But it was cute that Troy remembered his aversion to any other pizza besides cheese. "I really don't care," he said. "I'll just eat whatever you guys decide."

"Okay, cool," Troy said. "I'll tell my mom to expect you and then we'll see you in, like, a half hour, yeah?"

"Sounds great," Ryan answered. "I'll see you then." With that, he hung up the phone and began to go through his closet. He needed to find something perfect to wear over to Troy's. It was going to be the first time actually going over to hang out at his house. He'd been by a few times, just passing by or dropping him off, but he'd never been there with him and he'd definitely never met his parents before. The complete irony of his never wanting to meet Austin's parents never even crossed his mind.

HSM•••HSM

A half hour later, Ryan found himself knocking on the front door to Troy's house. He didn't have to wait long before his friend answered and they were making their way from the entry to the family room right off the kitchen. "Welcome to Casa de Bolton," Troy said. He then began giving Ryan the grand tour of his home, the highlights in the modest dwelling space being mostly in the living room. He pointed out the most comfortable spot on the sectional sofa as well as the spot near the couch on the floor where one could sit without any glare reflecting off the TV screen.

Ryan smiled and took a seat as Troy offered to get the two of them something to drink. "I'll just have a glass of ice water," Ryan said. "Or just some regular water if you don't have any ice."

Troy laughed at that. "You act as though you're some big inconvenience," Troy said. "What would you do if I told you that you could not only have some ice cold water, but that it was bottled?"

"I guess I'd say I'll take it," Ryan laughed.

In a moment, Troy was walking back over to the blond boy with two bottles of water in hand. "Here," he said, holding out the bottle to Ryan. "I hope Evian is good enough for your refined tastes."

Ryan grabbed the bottle and gave his friend a look. The two settled down on the sofa in silence, taking random sips of their water. Ryan let the awkwardness drag on for several moments before finally saying something. "So," he started, rubbing his hands over the legs of his shorts. "Are we going to just sit here in silence or are we going to actually watch a movie or something? I mean, don't get me wrong, this sofa is really nice and all, I just thought we were in for something else."

"Oh yeah," Troy said, blushing. "I told my mom we'd wait for her to get back with the food before we started any movie, but I guess we could pick something out and get it all ready before she gets back."

Ryan nodded his agreement and the two got off the couch and headed over to the case of movies and DVDs. "What do you want to watch?" Troy asked. "We don't have very many musicals, but my mom has gotten a few."

Ryan just smiled and shook his head at Troy. "This may come as a bit of a surprise to you," he said. "But I don't always have to watch musicals or romantic comedies. Just because I like drama and am gay doesn't mean that I don't like the occasional shoot-em-up action movie. I even like horror movies on occasion."

Troy blushed again, embarrassed at his assumption, but it was true. He didn't know that about Ryan. He was glad, however, that he was getting the chance to find it all out. "Well," he said, looking at their movie collection. "We've got all kinds of action movies. Lots of Arnold Schwarzenegger movies. Stuff like that."

"Oh my gosh," Ryan said, surprising Troy. He really hadn't expected that kind of a reaction from Ryan given those movie choices. "Do you have True Lies? I love that movie. And Jamie Lee Curtis' strip tease dance is so hot."

Troy shot Ryan a confused look. Had he really just said that about a girl? "What?" Ryan responded. "Any person, gay or straight, can admit that Jaime Lee Curtis has a great body, and that it was a sexy dance. I don't think I could pull off a better pole dance even if I tried."

At that moment, Troy's mouth went dry. He'd seen True Lies enough times to know exactly what Ryan was talking about when he mentioned the strip tease, and for some reason, the thought of Ryan doing something like that had Troy's mind working overload. And even though he couldn't really explain it, it was kind of fun to think about Ryan dancing around like that with such abandon. He shook his head slightly, bringing himself out of his thoughts and answered Ryan before he could notice that Troy had drifted off at all. "Well, you're in luck," he said. "That's one of my dad's favorites."

"Well, it looks like your dad has some good taste then," Ryan said, finding the case on the shelf and pulling it off, holding it out for Troy to set up the whole entertainment center. "What is your mom bringing back to eat, anyway?"

"Since you didn't want to suggest anything, she just decided to go to China One and pick up a few things," Troy said as he placed the DVD in the player and grabbed the three different remotes before he headed back over to where Ryan had moved to on the couch. He plopped himself down next to Ryan instead of on the other side, which is what Ryan had thought his friend would do. It was a pleasant surprise; one he was definitely not going to question. Troy powered up the TV and DVD player, bringing the disc's menu up, when all of a sudden, Ryan's stomach gave a loud rumble. He looked over at Troy, who had also noticed the rather obvious sign of hunger, and blushed.

"I guess I didn't realize how hungry I was going to be," Ryan said, rubbing a hand absently over his flat, and empty, stomach.

Troy's eyes drifted down to where Ryan was rubbing and remained there for a moment as Ryan's gaze went back to the television set. Then, before he could get caught starting, he also averted his eyes back to the television screen, which still showed an unmoving menu for the movie Ryan had picked out.

Just then, thankfully, Troy heard the door to the garage open. Seconds later his mom entered the kitchen and deposited two brown bags on the counter and began taking the universal symbol for Chinese food: white cardboard boxes.

"Do you want any help with that?" Troy yelled over to his mom. Ryan thought it was funny that he even asked, because he was getting up before he even had a chance to finish the question.

Not wanting to seem like a mooch, Ryan also got up and made his way over to the kitchen counter where mother and son were busy taking out food and arranging it. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

Just then, for the first time, Troy's mother looked up from the counter and looked at her son's guest. She smiled. "You must be Ryan," she said, extending her hand. "You've been occupying my son with all of your golf matches lately."

Ryan blushed. He didn't know whether she was upset or if she was just making conversation. "Yeah," he said. "But he's the only person who can keep me on my game."

"It's no matter," Mrs. Bolton said, waving off the blond. "But we'll have to start scheduling time with him so that I can keep up on his life. Or we could do more joint things like this. It depends on how much I like you."

The whole time, Troy was standing there listening as his mom talked about him like he was some sort of commodity. Ryan was probably just itching to get away from her; he probably wanted to get out of the house as quick as possible. He couldn't really blame him either; his mom was pretty weird. Why, oh why couldn't he have a normal family? Just as he was about to grab Ryan's arm and drag him away from his mother and into the living room, the blond spoke up, and what he said made Troy's mouth gape in surprise. "Well," Ryan said. "I'm free most of the day on Monday and Tuesday, so I could hang out with him then and leave him open on the weekends for you. I'll just update my planner."

Troy's mom smiled at him and then looked over to her son, who was just staring at the two of them as if they were speaking a different language. "I like him," she said. "You can keep him."

She then went back to busying herself with their food. Ryan just looked over at Troy with a smile on his face and shrugged. He then walked over to the counter and began looking around. "Where do you keep the silverware, Mrs. Bolton?" he asked.

"Over in the drawer by the cutting board," she answered, pointing her finger toward the area specified.

Ryan just moved over and began gathering the utensils he thought they'd need for the food. Once he had gotten everything, he moved back over to Troy's mother. "Do you think I should get any bowls or plates or anything?" he asked.

"No, dear," she replied, smiling as she pulled the last carton out of the brown bag. "We here at the Bolton residence are classy people. We eat directly from the carton, especially during movie night."

"Well, then," Ryan said, holding up the silverware. "I think we're ready. Do you want me to take some of those into the living room?"

"Look at him," Mrs. Bolton said to her son. "Good golfer, good singer, helpful, and cute to boot. If I wasn't already married, I'd snatch him up so fast …" she let her sentence trail off, it's meaning apparent.

"Mom," Troy whined. "Please stop it."

"It's okay," Ryan said, moving over to his friend with a few of the cartons in his hands. Then he leaned closer so only Troy could hear, "Parent's love me. It's a fact." Then he continued walking over to the living room. He was followed by Troy's mom and then by Troy himself. The three of them settled down in the room and Troy grabbed the remote and started the movie.

They opened all the cartons and began eating as the movie got underway. Troy was, once again, seated right next to Ryan who was sitting cross-legged on the floor eating from the carton containing some noodle dish. Troy had a carton of teriyaki chicken and noticed Ryan eyeballing it every now and again. "You want some?" he asked, offering it to his friend.

"Sure," Ryan said, sticking his fork into the carton. "Mmm, this all tastes great. I'll have to remember this the next time Sharpay decides it's okay for us to splurge on something." He smiled back at Troy and grabbed one more piece before putting his focus back on the film.

Troy, however, was not paying too much attention to anything that was happening on the screen. He was too caught up in Ryan and his reactions to the movie. Smiling when the blond laughed, jerking back when something caught him off guard and frowning when something in the plot angered him.

Every now and then, Ryan would turn to face him, and he would have to look as though he was actually paying attention to the movie and not just watching his friend. Ryan never seemed to notice, though. He'd just smile at his friend and reach over to grab another piece of chicken.

During a lull in the movie, Troy threw a fortune cookie at Ryan, who turned to look at Troy, a scandalized look on his face. Troy just smirked and turned his head, for once, away from Ryan and toward the television. Just when he had been lulled into a false sense of security, he felt the cold, wet slap of a noodle hit his face.

He looked over to Ryan and peeled it off his face slowly. "That's it," he said. "See if I ever give you anymore chicken anytime soon."

"No fair," Ryan protested. "It was just retaliation!"

They never even noticed Troy's mother watching the two of them.

**A/N: Well, one of the benefits of me getting stuck in an airport for about four hours yesterday is that you all get this. I just wanted to get a quick, little something with Troy and Ryan in it because … well, I wanted to. And it's my story. So there.**

**I know it's shorter than normal, but it's not supposed to be a full-blown chapter. We'll return to the normal story in the next one. But I just wanted to do something different. Which is also why I got to bring Kaden and Jordan back for a brief cameo appearance.**

**I hope you all enjoy! Please review!**


	11. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

The summer progressed without much incident. The group of friends continued working at the Lava Springs Country Club; Sharpay and Zeke continued their on again/off again flirtations; Chad and Taylor continued going strong; Ryan and Gabriella continued going shopping and pointing out attractive boys to one another. But most important to Ryan, he had found a very close friend in Troy Bolton.

The two had grown closer and spent more time with one another as the summer progressed. It got to the point where either one of them would be with the other when they were both free. They were basically attached at the hip, something about which Gabriella teased Ryan mercilessly. He never thought in a million years that he could be so content with his life, and here he was, surrounded by friends and genuinely enjoying all that life was throwing his way. Before this summer, he had never felt any particular attachment to East High or any of the people there, and had therefore never really given much thought to graduation. He used to see it as just the next step in a normal progression of growing up. But now all of that was changing. He had friends and relationships to consider when looking at colleges. Did he want to go to a place where he didn't know anyone and have to start all over? He had just made some really good friends here. He didn't know if he wanted to go through that whole hassle again just to be finished with another school in four short years. He actually had things weighing on his mind now. But it wasn't something that he didn't like. Thinking about friends was a good reason to be stressed. It was at least better than being stressed about having no friends.

Currently the whole gang was gathered around a table on the patio outside of the Lava Springs clubhouse enjoying a nice afternoon out in the sun. There were only a few more weeks until school started so they had all started working less and hanging out more, hoping to get the most out of their last few weeks of summer.

Chad was taking a drink of his soda as he scanned around at his friends. Sharpay and Gabriella were sitting next to one another and even though they weren't talking to one another, they weren't glaring daggers at each other. Taylor was talking with Kelsi and Jason, and Ryan was sitting between Troy and himself, currently engaged in some conversation about the technical merits of a movie called _True Lies_. He'd never seen it, but that wasn't really as interesting as the whole dynamic of the group he was witness to. He smirked to himself and leaned back in his chair, taking everything in. His girlfriend noticed his smug look and leaned into him.

"What do you look so happy about?" she asked, grabbing a hold of his hand and interlacing their fingers. "You look like the cat that ate the canary."

"I was just noticing how things can change so quickly," he said, taking his gaze away from his friends and turning toward his girlfriend. "I mean, who thought at the beginning of the summer that we would all be sitting here just hanging out with each other and being all friendly?"

Taylor then turned her head and looked out at their friends. Her boyfriend certainly had a point. Things certainly had a way of changing quickly. As she looked around she noticed everyone, who formerly were very rigid in their social cliques, and saw how those former social lines could no longer be seen. But among all of their friends she was most interested in the two boys who were sitting next to her boyfriend.

To say she was surprised when the two of them began to hang out would be a definite understatement, but as their friendship developed and she actually got the chance to watch them together, she could tell that the two of them actually complemented each other quite nicely. Troy was outgoing and gregarious while Ryan was somewhat reserved and quiet. They both tended to bring out qualities in the other that were normally less noticeable. Troy had a way of making Ryan stretch outside of his comfort zones and meet new people and Ryan caused Troy to slow down and think about his actions before going gung-ho with a plan.

The whole friendship was just something she hadn't expected and neither did Chad, but that didn't mean they were against it. It was just something that had, by all accounts, come completely out of the blue.

"It's nice, isn't it?" she asked Chad. "Everyone getting along and everything. And look, I think Sharpay and Zeke might actually stay together until the end of the summer. Did you ever think that would have happened?"

Chad laughed at that. The overbearing blonde had definitely had a thing for Zeke's baking, but she had never shown any romantic interest in him. But then, that might have also had something to do with her war on Troy she had engaged in earlier that summer. His eyes once again roamed over all of his friends, and yes, he could count them all as friends. They lingered a bit on the duo sitting next to him before they fell back on his girlfriend. He then leaned in a placed a quick kiss on her cheek. Life was good.

HSM•••HSM

"Do you need any help with that?" Ryan asked his mother as he walked into the kitchen, seeing that his mother already had several serving bowls full of food. He walked over to the counter and put his hands on the rim of one of the bowls, pulling them away when he realized how hot it was.

"If you could just take those bowls and place them on the dining room table, I think I can handle the rest," Ryan's mom said, closing the door to the refrigerator and turning back toward the oven.

Ryan did as he was instructed, but before grabbing the bowl again he rummaged through one of the drawers and took out a potholder. Then he began dutifully taking the food out of the kitchen. They didn't normally have family dinners on the weekend during the summer because they were all so busy with their activities, not to mention the summer was the busiest time at Lava Springs, but apparently his mother had decided that this would be a good time for the family to reconnect. And he had to admit, the smells coming from the kitchen were much more enticing than something he could pick up somewhere else.

Soon the table was set and the food out of the kitchen. Ryan joined his mom at the table and within seconds were joined by Sharpay and his father. They all sat around the table in silence for a moment, situating themselves before Mr. Evans spoke up. "Well, this looks just great," he said. "What's the occasion?"

Ryan's mom smiled at the compliment while taking the cloth napkin from beside her plate and placing it in her lap. "Nothing special," she said. "I just thought it would be nice for all of us to sit down and catch up before our babies begin their last year of high school. I can only imagine that this year will be very hectic."

Ryan shot Sharpay a look. He knew his mom was apprehensive about their both leaving for college at the same time and even though he didn't really like being called a baby, or being fawned over, he was going to give his mother this comfort. "Let's eat," he said, trying to lighten the mood, which would get more somber the more they focused on his and Sharpay's impending adulthood. "I'm starved."

They all began passing the food around the table, putting what they wanted on their plates. Ryan looked over and noticed that Sharpay wasn't taking much. "Come on, Shar," he said, passing her another bowl, "you know mom makes the food up to your dietary standards. Why don't you just enjoy the dinner."

"Well, Ryan," Sharpay said, glaring at her brother, "Unlike some people, I have a boyfriend who caters to my every whim. He's taking me out to dessert tonight, which will undoubtedly not fit my dietary regimen, so I'm watching what I eat here."

Ryan frowned. His sister would bring up the fact that she had a boyfriend while he did not—anything to get him to shut up. Sometimes his sister knew exactly what buttons to push, and he hated that.

"How is Zeke doing, honey?" Mr. Evans asked. "Our chef at the club can't stop raving about him. He actually wants to keep him on during the school year." Sharpay just grinned. It was nice having a significant other that their parents thought so highly of.

"He's doing great," Sharpay said as she moved some of the food around on her plate. "He keeps talking about going to culinary school after high school, but I just can't figure out why he's worrying about it already. I mean, we have to finish high school first, right?"

Ryan smirked. His sister wasn't ever known as one who planned things too well, except when it came to dancing, costuming and singing. Seeing as how school was none of those, she didn't think too much about it. He'd been getting information from different colleges since midway through the last school year. He always looked through everything, but just hadn't made a big deal about all of it.

"It's amazing how quickly things can change, don't you think?" Mrs. Evans asked, looking between her two children. "I'm so glad to see how well you're getting along with all of your school chums, and Sharpay, you and Zeke make such a cute couple. I'm just so happy that my two babies are finding their place in the world."

Ryan sighed softly. He would have shaken his head, but that would have garnered a round of questioning. He just didn't like it too much when his mother praised them for doing things that he wasn't particularly certain of. Sure Sharpay had a boyfriend, but he didn't. He was no closer to finding his place or someone to help him find it. But he didn't want to think too much about that. He'd rather focus on all the fun he was having with his friends and the fact that he had never felt so carefree in his life.

The family sat in relative silence for several minutes as each of them ate their dinner, consumed in their own thoughts. "So," Mrs. Evans began, "do the two of you have any big plans for the rest of the summer and the school year?"

Ryan and Sharpay shared a look with each other. They hadn't spoken about it with each other yet, but it didn't really need to be spoken; they were going to reclaim their title as the drama aficionados of East High for their final year, and this time, there wouldn't be any spite behind it. How could there be when they were all becoming such good friends? But that wasn't what they were going to tell their parents.

"Oh, I don't know," Sharpay said, setting her fork down on the table next to her plate. "I think I'm going to focus on improving my people skills and then on my relationship with Zeke. And of course, I'll have to be working on my audition materials for all of the performing arts schools I'll be applying to."

Their parents nodded their heads, completely understanding what Sharpay was talking about and where she was coming from. And then, as if having the whole situation planned, they turned their heads in unison toward their son.

Ryan looked at them, his eyes wide and his mouth opening and closing as if he were a fish gasping for air. He didn't know why, but he felt incredibly put upon right then. He didn't really have much planned, but he definitely shouldn't have felt so pressured to answer their question. "I, uh, I hadn't really given that much thought to it," he said. "Actually, I think I'm just going to have fun. I'll focus on my classes, obviously, but I just want to have a good time with my friends."

Sharpay snorted at that, causing Ryan to turn his head quickly in her direction, challenging her to say something else. She just smirked at him and twirled her fork around in her fingers. "Sure you're going to have a good time with your friends," she said, leering a bit. "More like a good time with one of your friends. Your Troy toy." She then put her fork back down on the table and looked at him with one of her patented fake-confused looks. "Gosh, Ryan, you two seem to have gotten awfully closed. There's not anything going on between the two of you, is there?"

Ryan's face burned red, whether it was from anger or embarrassment or both, he didn't know. He did know it was times like these when he could have claimed his sister had some kind of multiple personality disorder. Sometimes she could be an amazingly sweet person, and other times she was a right bitch. And he just wished she would go away.

"I didn't know you and Troy Bolton were getting so close, sweetie," Ryan's mom said to him, giving her husband a curious look. This was exactly what Ryan didn't want to happen. He didn't need his parents being weird around Troy and making so that he wouldn't want to hang around him anymore. "You talked about him a bit during yoga class, but I thought it was just golf."

"It's nothing, mom," Ryan said, taking a moment to glare daggers at his sister. "We are friends. Troy is straight." Ryan said these things through gritted teeth, not really wanting to have this discussion. He then immediately went back to his dinner. The rest of the meal was spent in a strained silence.

HSM•••HSM

Gabriella walked through the clubhouse and toward the staff entrance to the kitchen area. She smiled as she walked through the air conditioned corridors, sometimes being a lifeguard was not all it was cracked up to be, and days like today, when temperatures were above 110 degrees definitely qualified for hose times. She pushed the swinging door open and walked over to one of the sinks, grabbing a glass as she went. She turned on the tap and filled the glass, taking a large drink before placing the glass back under the faucet and refilling it.

After filling her glass again, she turned off the tap and made her way over to one of the counters that was lined with barstools. She set the glass down and hoisted herself up. She let out a sigh when she felt the pressure from her feet give way to the lightness of sitting.

She had closed her eyes and was just taking in the feeling of not being on duty when she heard the door pushed open. She cracked her eyes open to see who was coming into the kitchen and spotted a shaggy mop of brown hair atop a tanned body. She opened her eyes fully and smiled as she watched Troy go through the motions she had just completed. "Break time for you, too?" she asked, causing her former boyfriend to glance in her direction.

"Yeah," he said as he turned off the faucet and began walking in her direction. "The heat is murder today. Not to mention the fact that I'm seriously reconsidering ever having kids … ever."

"Ha ha," Gabriella laughed, placing her glass on the stainless steel counter. "So, you're telling me that a career being a golf pro is not in your future?"

"Definitely not," Troy said, shaking his head. He pulled over a stool and took a seat on the opposite side of the wide counter. "Maybe it's just the kids who sign up for golfing lessons, but I've never had to dodge so much swinging metal in my life. Or the balls. I swear a few of them aim at me when I'm working on something else."

Gabriella laughed again before taking another drink of her water. The two sat in companionable silence for a few moments, just enjoying the fact that they were able to take a few minutes away from the rampant entitlement that came with most of the members of the country club. "Hey," Gabriella said after a moment. "What are you doing tonight after work? Want to hang out?"

Troy finished the water in his glass before setting it down and answering his friend. "I would," he said, regretting that he had to turn her down. He hadn't really been able to hang out with her much since they decided to go their separate ways, and it wasn't because he didn't want to hang out with her, but because he had been busy with other things. "But I've already got plans."

"Oh yeah?" Gabriella said, smiling. "You sure you're not just blowing me off?"

Troy just rolled his eyes. "I'm sure," he said. "I'm going out with Ry tonight. It's our guys' night."

Gabriella couldn't help but laugh at the mental image that came to her. For some reason she just couldn't take it without laughing. "Guys' night, huh?" she asked. "What exactly do you all do on guys' night?"

"Hey," Troy said, giving Gabriella a look. "It just started out that one night when we all went for pizza and then to that one dance club. Ryan really liked it, so we've just kept it up."

Gabriella thought about that for a moment, but shook her head. There was no way that any of the thoughts going through her head could have any merit. They were just good friends. Although, Troy never went dancing with her when she asked him to go. Still, that didn't mean anything. She wondered, though, how that was making Ryan feel. She knew about his crush and she wondered if all this attention from Troy was maybe making him think the wrong things. The last thing he needed, especially after his breakup with Austin, was to be led down the wrong path, however innocently, to thinking there was something more between him and Troy.

"You and Ryan have been spending an awful lot of time together lately, haven't you?" she asked, trying to subtly pump her friend for any information she could get without alerting him to the nature of her questioning.

"Yeah, I guess," Troy replied. "He's a cool guy. It's too bad we didn't get to know each other before now. I could have spent a lot more time beating Chad at golf." He laughed at that. It was a running joke that Ryan couldn't help Chad with his golf game because then it would level the field between the two friends.

Gabriella arched her eyebrow and pushed her glass of water away from her. "Do you ever think he might be reading a little more into any of your guys' hangouts than you want him to?" she asked, subtlety be damned.

Troy, however, still didn't seem to understand. "What do you mean?" he asked. "We're friends; he's a great guy. There's not really anything to misunderstand." Even while he was saying that, he couldn't help but think that it wasn't necessarily the truth. It just wasn't something he didn't feel like thinking about at the moment.

Right then Gabriella was torn between telling Troy about Ryan's crush and keeping Ryan's secret. It definitely wasn't hers to tell, but she couldn't help but want to try and save him any heartache. In the end, she just couldn't do it, but that didn't stop her from leaving Troy with a little warning.

"Just don't hurt him," she said as she got up from her chair. She walked over to the sink to set her glass in it. Luckily her break was over, so her exit wouldn't be seen as rude or awkward. "I mean it."

Troy just looked at her confusedly. "I would never," he said, not really understanding why Gabriella was acting like this all of a sudden. As he watched his former girlfriend leave the kitchen his mind drifted to his blond-haired friend and what Gabriella could possibly have meant by her parting comments.

HSM•••HSM

Ryan finished his drink and set it on the table before turning around and heading back out to the dance floor. Troy, who was still sitting at said table just shook his head and laughed. They had been the only two available that evening, but still decided they would have a guys' night out. After a quick meal, they headed out to Feedback and began to partake in the atmosphere as only high school students with connections could. Ryan was letting loose like Troy had never witnessed before. He had a few drinks already and they really hadn't been there too long. Currently, he was out on the floor, dancing by himself. Well, not with anyone, even though he was surrounded by other people.

Troy, on the other hand, was still sipping on his first drink and hadn't even gotten out of their booth. It was different being out alone with Ryan instead of being out with the whole gang, but that didn't mean it wasn't enjoyable. He was having a great time, even if he was just watching Ryan out on the dance floor. There was something mesmerizing about the way Ryan danced out on the floor. Troy hadn't noticed it as much the last time they were out because he had been right there with him, but now that he was able to take a distanced view of the whole thing he noticed everything. The way Ryan swayed his hips. The way he would throw back his head and smile when he felt he had pulled off a particularly good move, he was beautiful.

He shook his head. Beautiful? It wasn't really a word he would have thought to use to describe his friend, but he wasn't particularly opposed to it. He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind; he was supposed to be here having a good time, not having deep internal conversations with himself. He glanced back down to his drink, brought it up to his lips and downed it before setting it down again.

He looked back up to the dance floor, his eyes roaming, trying to find his friend. His eyes passed over the whole area once and then again, still not able to locate the trademark blond hair. He was about to get up and look for Ryan when he finally caught sight of him. A small smile graced his lips before being completely wiped off when he noticed the tall man pressed entirely too close to his friend. The man, who happened to be a brunet had his chest pressed against Ryan's back, his hands on Ryan's hips. The two of them were swaying back and forth. Every now and again Ryan's face would turn to look up at the person who was standing behind him. Troy couldn't help the small growl that escaped his mouth, but he didn't make a move to get up and go to his friend.

After a few moments, the song ended and Ryan parted ways with his dance partner and began heading back to the table. As he got closer, he saw Troy looking his way and smiled. He slid into the booth, opposite his friend and leaned back, letting out a sigh. Apparently dancing had worn him out. Or maybe it was the person with whom he was dancing. But then again, Troy didn't really want to think about that.

"Are you having fun out there?" Troy asked after a moment, not really knowing what else to say. His mind was still trying to wrap itself around what he had just seen and the emotions that were bubbling up in him.

"Oh yeah," Ryan said, his head still leaned back, eyes closed. "That last song they played was pretty great. It's been a while since I heard it."

They slipped back into a silence. For Troy, it was a rather uneasy one. He didn't know what to say, but he wanted to know about Ryan's mystery dance partner. It disturbed him a little. But what disturbed him even more was the fact that he was upset about this whole situation. Being a high school boy sucked sometimes.

Then, as if his legs had a mind of their own, he found himself getting up from the booth and standing in front of Ryan. The lack of light hitting his face caused the blond to open his eyes and stare up at his friend who was holding out a hand to him.

"What's this for?" he asked, looking from Troy's hand to his face and back. "You're not ready to go already, are you? We just got here a little bit ago," he continued, misinterpreting Troy's gesture. "I thought you liked it here. I wouldn't have made you come if I knew you wouldn't have enjoyed it."

"I don't want to leave, Ry," Troy said, smiling at his friend. "I want to go dance."

Ryan's mouth opened in understanding, then shut as he smiled. He reached up to grab Troy's hand and allowed him to pull him from the seat. His hand never left Troy's as they made their way to the dance floor.

When they arrived, Troy let go of Ryan's hand and turned to face him. The two began dancing around one another, but Troy couldn't help the urge to be closer to Ryan than he had before when they danced together. He didn't come to the proximity like Ryan's last partner had, but he was definitely invading his friend's bubble.

Ryan, however, didn't seem to be paying much attention to that fact. His eyes were closed. This situation, coupled with the fact that Troy wasn't really thinking straight, caused him to move closer to his friend. He stared at Ryan for a moment, then turned his head away, his gaze never focusing on anything particular.

When Ryan opened his eyes and glanced at his friend, he was surprised at how close Troy was standing next to him. Not that he was going to complain. When they were standing this close, he could pretend that he meant the world to the other boy. He could let his fantasies run wild. He could pretend that Troy had decided to take him out that evening in order to celebrate something. Like an anniversary or something else. He let a smile play across his lips.

He was still looking at Troy when his gaze returned to him. "Are you having a good time?" Troy asked.

Ryan just nodded his head and smiled back. He wasn't really paying much attention to what his friend was saying, he was just too caught up in the moment. Well, too caught up in his fantasy. He looked at Troy and imagined that the East High basketball star really was his. Maybe it was just the alcohol talking, but he couldn't deny the fact that it was nice to think like that.

Troy was just too cute for words. He had that appearance that would draw anyone to him. And then once they got to know him, they'd be drawn in for good. They'd want to get closer and closer to him until there was no way they'd ever be able to escape his pull.

Ryan took a step closer to Troy, causing the brunet to turn his head back to the blond. Ryan looked into the blue eyes he couldn't ever seem to get enough of. He took one step closer until he was standing right up next to Troy's warm body. He didn't ever register the confused look on his friend's face. He placed his hands softly on Troy's chest, feeling the fabric beneath his fingers. He ran them down slowly and then looked back up at Troy before he leaned up and placed a kiss on his lips.

**A/N: And here it is! Chapter 10! And what an ending, right? I'm really excited for this chapter to finally be written because that means I get to write the next ones which will be veeeeeery interesting. I hope you all enjoyed it and can't wait for the next few chapters as much as I can't wait to write them.**

**I hope you enjoyed all of the different perspectives that I had in this chapter. I don't think I was originally intending for it to be so varied, but I like how it turned out. I hope the last scene makes sense and that it doesn't seem to rushed or anything. I definitely wanted to get across the point that the kiss wasn't planned and that Ryan wasn't really in the right state of mind when it happened. So … please review and let me know what you think!**


	12. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

Through the swirling haze in his mind, Ryan could feel the soft pressure of his lips being pressed up against someone else's. It was actually the only thing he really wanted to focus on at the moment. In all actuality, he had no idea how this sensation had begun, but he didn't want it to stop. All he knew was that one second he had been dancing with someone and then he had been sitting in the booth with Troy.

Troy. The thought of the brunet made Ryan happy. He wished that Troy was the one causing this feeling right now. Where was Troy anyway? They had been sitting at their booth and then he stood up. Did Troy leave him at the club? No, he would never do that. They were friends, after all. Troy had wanted to go dancing. That's right. They were dancing together. But if they were dancing together, then how was it possible that he was kissing someone? Certainly Troy wouldn't still want to dance with him if he were busy with someone else.

But Ryan wouldn't want to be with someone else, not when he was with Troy. And he certainly wouldn't want to start kissing someone else when Troy was right there. That just didn't make any sense.

Then he felt the pressure against his lips deepen again. It sure was nice. He really wanted to know who it was. He opened his eyes and was confronted with tanned skin and brown hair. Ryan thought it was so much like Troy's. Where was he, anyway? Then, the person standing in front of Ryan who was causing him so much pleasure moved, and he caught sight of his face.

Suddenly, the haze lifted and the only thing Ryan could think was, "Shit. Troy."

HSM•••HSM

To say Troy was surprised when he felt Ryan press his lips against his own, would have been an understatement. But he shouldn't have been. He watched as Ryan stepped closer to him, he felt Ryan's hands as they ran over his chest, and yet he still was surprised when he leaned forward and kissed him.

At first, he didn't move. He stopped dancing and froze in place. There were a million thoughts running through his head, but oddly enough, pulling away was not one of them. He stood there as Ryan's lips pressed against his own. He had to admit that it wasn't disgusting. Ryan's lips were soft; if Troy thought about it, he'd probably say they were softer than Gabriella's.

He got lost for a moment, thinking about the kiss. Thinking about everything it meant for both him and Ryan. He knew he should have put a stop to it, but he couldn't bring himself to do that. And then he felt Ryan's lips shift against his and he found himself shifting his head to keep their lips in contact.

He probably would have continued thinking about the kiss and its ramifications all the while still kissing the other boy, but both the kissing and the thinking were brought to a complete halt when he felt the other boy stiff and pull away from him. He opened his eyes and watched as Ryan pulled away from him, realization of everything that had just happened washing across his face. He watched as Ryan's eyes widened and as his mouth began to open and shut and his hands began to shake. The blond started backing away and Troy knew he was about to bolt.

And so, Troy reached out and grabbed Ryan by the arms. Ryan closed his eyes and turned his face away, the tears forming in the corners of his eyes reflecting off the pulsing lights above the dance floor. His mouth began to move and Troy could tell he was saying something, but the loud music drowned whatever he was trying to say. He leaned forward, trying to hear.

"Please," Ryan said as Troy came in closer. His voice was barely above a whisper and so even in this close proximity was difficult to hear. "I didn't mean it," he continued. "I just—it—I don't know why I did it, I just—I'm sorry. Please, don't hate me."

Troy's brows furrowed when he was finally able to process what Ryan was saying. "Hate you?" he asked. Ryan turned his head to look at his friend. Troy could see the tears streaking down the blond's face and lifted his hand to wipe them away, but Ryan just turned his face away. "Ryan," Troy said. "I don't hate you. I promise."

"But—but I kissed you," Ryan said, still choking back some of his tears. "You're not gay; you must be disgusted."

He then made another move to pull away from his friend, but was stopped by Troy's still firm grip. "I am not disgusted," he said. When he saw the look of disbelief pass over his friends face, he leaned in and added, "I promise."

He smiled at Ryan, trying to convey that fact. "It was actually kind of nice," he admitted, causing his cheeks to flame red.

Ryan's head snapped back in Troy's direction. There was no way he could have possibly heard right. Troy actually liked the kiss? He was still going through all the questions his mind came up with when he felt lips press against his. His eyes flew open and he looked as Troy was kissing him.

He pulled quickly away. "What—what are you doing?" he asked, still shocked.

"I was just—I mean, isn't this what you wanted?" Troy asked, looking confused. "I thought that because you—"

But he was cut off by Ryan, smashing his lips to his once again. When Troy had been trying to explain himself to his friend, Ryan just couldn't get over the fact that he looked so cute when he was flustered. That and the fact that Troy had actually kissed him back caused Ryan to throw caution to the wind and kiss his friend with everything he had in him.

When he finally pulled back, he looked at Troy, who looked a little dazed, but in a good way. He couldn't believe what was actually happening. He had kissed Troy. Then Troy had kissed him back. And then he kissed him again. If anyone had asked him what he'd be doing this evening, making out with Troy Bolton would definitely not have been on the list.

And yet here he was, staring into the eyes of the boy he'd had a crush on for who knows how long, waiting for him to make the next move. Luckily, he didn't have to wait too long because in just a moment, he had his hands tangled in Troy's hair as they began kissing in earnest.

Minutes ran into each other and the only thing Ryan could think about was the feeling of Troy's lips on his, the taste of Troy's mouth and the smell of the body that was pressed so close to his. It was a totally surreal feeling that was ended all too soon because of the fact that one of the club's security guys came over to where they were standing. Apparently they had backed into a wall without realizing it and were making out with gusto.

"You guys want to take this out of here?" the guy asked.

Troy pulled away from Ryan, and looked back at the bouncer before nodding. He turned back to his friend, or was he just a friend, who was looking back at him breathlessly. "We should get out of here," he said.

Ryan just nodded his head and allowed himself to be pulled out by Troy. He didn't have any idea what was going to happen next, but he sure as hell wasn't going to do anything to stop it.

HSM•••HSM

Ryan closed the front door to his house and leaned against it while letting out the biggest sigh he had ever let out. Things after leaving the dance club had definitely not turned out the way he had expected, although, he really didn't know exactly what he expected. All he knew is that, what happened definitely wasn't it.

He had followed Troy out of the club in a daze. He had been led to Troy's truck and hopped in, not really knowing what to expect. The cool nighttime air cleared his head a bit, and it seamed to do the same to Troy. The two sat in silence for an awkward time before the brunet actually put his keys in the ignition and started the car. The two had pulled out of the parking lot and had been in the road for several minutes before they actually said something to one another.

"So," Ryan started, his voice soft, "what are we going to do now?" He would never admit it to anyone, but the silence was a little foreboding. He didn't necessarily expect them to be all over each other in the car, but he certainly didn't expect them to be sitting as far apart as they could and not speaking to one another. Maybe Troy was having second thoughts about the whole thing.

Troy hadn't responded at first, which did nothing for Ryan's confidence level. And when he finally did speak, it caused any confidence Ryan had composed to shatter completely. "I think we should both head home," he said. "It's getting pretty late and I have to get up early tomorrow morning and do some stuff with my dad."

"Oh, okay," Ryan said, looking away from his friend and out the window. His worst fears, it seemed, were just now coming true. Troy was being distant and he had no idea how to fix anything. He thought everything had been going so well, too.

And so that is what brought him to his current position, standing inside the entryway to his house and nothing to show for his evening, save a few very nice memories. At least Troy had driven him home; he could have just freaked out and bolted at the club. And he even said goodnight and that he'd call later, so not everything was lost. He just couldn't get over the fact that everything had come to such an abrupt end. It was so weird. He had no idea what was going on, and that bugged the crap out of him.

He needed someone to talk to, and even though he was still a little mad at his sister for what happened at dinner the other evening, he knew that she would always be there to listen to him. He pushed himself off the door and made his way to the staircase. The house was dark, seeing as how it was incredibly late, and it made him feel like he was on some sort of forbidden journey to get love advice from some crazy old hag.

He laughed as that thought passed through his head. He'd never vocalize it, though, for fear that Sharpay would in fact murder him and hide his body. As he walked down the hallway, he saw the sliver of light flowing out from under the door to his sister's bedroom. At least she was awake; he wouldn't have to risk life and limb in order to wake her up.

The door to Sharpay's room was unmistakable; it was painted pink and had a huge gold star covered in glitter and her name. As if he needed any more direction as to where to go when he needed her. He knocked on the door and then pushed it open without waiting for a reply.

Sharpay was sitting on her bed, her leg drawn up to her chest with foot in front of her. By the smell encompassing the entire room, he figured she was doing her nails. It was confirmed as he walked closer to the bed. He thought of jumping on the bed next to his sister, just to see what would happen, but then thought better of it. He really did need some sisterly advice.

"Hey Shar," Ryan said moving over to the bed, and instead of sitting on the mattress, leaning against one of the posts. "What are you up to?"

Sharpay snorted, in a very undignified way, and raised her eyebrow as if to say, 'What the hell does it look like?' She then capped the bottle and set it to the side. "How was guys' night?" she asked. Ryan wasn't sure whether he was glad she just cut to the chase or not. It certainly didn't give him much time to come up with any way to ease into the conversation.

In the end, Ryan just shrugged. "It was okay," he said. He slid down the post until he was sitting on the plush carpet next to Sharpay's bed. "I kissed Troy."

The silence that followed was deafening. He didn't say anything; he didn't move. He was also pretty sure that his sister had stopped breathing. He was just about to turn around and see if his sister hadn't been killed by the surprise announcement. Just then, he heard the comforter ruffle and felt the bed shift. His sister was then sitting right next to him on the floor, her eyes wide.

"Shut up," she said. "Shut. Up."

Ryan didn't say anything and just stared at her, not really sure if he should do anything. He couldn't tell by his sister's reaction if she believed him or not, and then whether or not she was angry.

"Well?" she asked. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"You told me to shut up," Ryan said.

"Ugh," Sharpay said, balling her fists, and visibly restraining herself from yelling or throwing something. "I swear to God, Ryan. If you don't tell me right now exactly what happened I will murder you."

"There's not really much to tell," Ryan said, shifting so that he was facing his sister rather than just sitting alongside her. "We were dancing at the club and then I kissed him. Once I realized what I was doing, I pulled away, but then he kissed me back."

Sharpay just sat there for a moment, digesting everything her brother had just told her. Troy Bolton, the boy she had been chasing for the past year, had just spent the evening making out with her very own brother. If karma didn't believe in irony, then she sure as hell didn't know what to make of any of this. "You just kissed him?" She finally asked.

"Well, I had a few drinks before that," Ryan said, blushing a little. "I'm pretty sure that's the only reason I did anything. I mean, I didn't even make the first move with Austin, and I _knew_ he was gay."

"Did Troy have anything to drink?" Sharpay asked, trying to sort all of this out in her head. It still wasn't adding up. Now that she knew Ryan had been drinking she had assumed that Troy would also have been drinking. At least she could explain something away with alcohol.

"I'm not sure," Ryan said, trying to remember whether or not Troy had been drinking. "I don't remember him going back up to the bar for a refill. And, I mean, the only reason I was drinking so much was because I was dancing. Troy wasn't doing any of that."

"Well shit," Sharpay said. Ryan gave her a look. It wasn't often he heard his sister swear, and never so bluntly. "Did you guys talk about it at all afterward? I mean, I just don't get it, Ry. How did this happen?"

"I don't know," Ryan said, responding to the question first. "And we never really talked about anything. Once we left the club, we just got into his car. He said he thought we should go home. He said he had to get up early, but I know that was just an excuse."

The two of them sat in thought for several minutes; Ryan still trying to figure out why everything had ended up the way it had and Sharpay wandering how her life had come to this. It was like something out of a tawdry romance novel. She, the lonely spinster sister who sat and pined for a boy while her brother ran off with him into the distance. Even her musings were overly dramatic.

"Well, I don't know what to say," Sharpay started. "I mean, you made out with Troy Bolton. I should be asking you what it was like and if he was any good, but I still can't wrap my head around it."

"I know," Ryan replied. "So am I."

"I just don't want you getting yourself into anything that you'll need help getting out of in the end," she said, putting her hand on her brother's knee. "I mean, you don't even know if Troy is interested in guys. Don't go falling head over heals or anything."

"I know," Ryan said, leaning his head back to rest against the mattress. "But he really was a great kisser."

He smiled and looked over at his sister who was shaking her head at him. The two of them then sat and continued to talk about everything into the wee hours of the morning. Sharpay kept probing Ryan to see if Troy had been under the influence of alcohol. For her, it was the easiest way to explain this situation was to blame it on the alcohol. Of course, Ryan was pretty sure it wasn't the alcohol and tried to explain it to Sharpay. Eventually, though, they decided to move onto other topics, such as how good of a kisser Troy was. And Ryan was more than happy to talk about stuff like that.

HSM•••HSM

After dropping Ryan off at his home, Troy drove around for a while. When even the cool night breeze coming through his open windows didn't do anything to clear his head, he went home. He tiptoed up to his room and slipped into bed and stripping down to his boxers, but sleep was long in coming. No matter what he tried doing, he couldn't get the evening's events out of his mind. After several hours of tossing and turning, he finally fell into a fitful sleep.

When he woke, he felt neither refreshed nor rejuvenated and nowhere near any kind of understanding of what had happened the other night. He got up and went through the motions of his normal morning routine. He avoided both of his parents and their seemingly constant questions. He tried playing basketball in his backyard, but he couldn't keep focused.

Eventually, even though it hadn't worked the previous evening, he decided to take his truck out for a drive. It was a nice day, and Troy was thankful he had it off from work. There was no way he would have been able to focus on anything and he didn't fancy coming home with bruises all over his body due to his inability to dodge the golf balls those little hellions would have been sending his way. Regardless, he had no plan for where he was going, which is why it surprised him to no end when he ended up pulling into Gabriella's driveway. He parked the car and sat in his seat for a few seconds before opening the door and getting out of his truck. He began walking up the path leading to the front door and stopped just short of ringing the doorbell.

After standing there for a few awkward moments, he raised his hand and pressed the buzzer. He only waited for a second before the door was opening to reveal Gabriella. She looked surprised to see Troy standing there, but smiled anyway. "Troy?" she asked disbelievingly. "What are you doing here? You didn't call or anything. Is something wrong?"

Troy just shook his head. "I kissed Ryan," he said. Then he stopped. That is definitely not what he had planned on saying. He had been planning on making some small talk and then eventually leaving, but apparently his sub-consciousness had other ideas. When he realized what he said, his eyes widened and he held his breath as he waited for Gabriella to react. In all honesty, he had no idea how she was going to take it, especially given the bluntness with which he had told her about it.

The two stood there looking at each other, neither one of them talking, that is, until Gabriella cleared her throat. "You did what?" she asked. From what Troy could tell she didn't sound too upset. In fact, she didn't sound upset at all, just confused and curious. "Did you say you kissed Ryan? As in Ryan Evans?"

Troy just nodded. He couldn't really think of anything else to say, and he was afraid that if he opened his mouth something else would slip out that he didn't really intend to be known. So, in the end, he figured head movements would be in his best interest. When Gabriella saw this, she moved to the side of the door and swept her arm inside indicating that he should stop standing awkwardly outside and actually engage in real conversation.

Troy didn't realize he was inside the house until he heard the door close before him. This was it. He was really going to be having this conversation with his ex-girlfriend. He was going to talk to his ex-girlfriend about how he had kissed a boy. He was going to tell his ex-girlfriend how he had kissed another boy and enjoyed it. He was going to tell his ex-girlfriend that he had kissed another boy, about how he had enjoyed it and about how it was one of her really good friends. When had this turned into bizarro world?

Troy waited until Gabriella was in front of him and then followed her into the kitchen. He watched as she grabbed two glasses from the cupboard and filled them with water, then sat down with her at the kitchen table.

"Well," Gabriella said after she had gotten her fill of just staring at each other, "are you going to explain anything or are you just going to leave it all up to my imagination?"

Troy looked down at the table and ran one of his hands through his hair. "I really don't know what there is to tell," he started. "We were at the dance club last night and he kissed me. And then I kissed him back."

"I never thought Ryan would actually do anything," Gabriella said softly, more to herself than to anyone else. "I mean, he said that he's had a crush on you forever, but I just didn't think he'd actually do anything about it. He hasn't yet, so why would he now?"

"Wait," Troy said, confused by what Gabriella was mumbling to herself. "What are you talking about? Ryan has a crush on me?"

"Uh," Gabriella said, looking from Troy to the floor and back. She knew she shouldn't have said that. At least she had the courtesy to look as though she was embarrassed. "You weren't supposed to know about that. I told Ryan I wouldn't tell anyone about it and now I've gone and told the one person I should never have told."

"You guys talk about me?" Troy asked. He didn't know whether to be flattered or a little angry. Who knew what they said about him when he wasn't around. What if Gabriella had told Ryan embarrassing things about him?

That seemed to catch Gabriella a little off guard and she started to stutter a bit. "Well, I, uh , we don't really talk about you," she said. "He just told me that he'd had a crush on you for a long time and I tease him about it sometimes. It's not like we talk about you all the time. But that's not even the point of all of this. What were you doing kissing Ryan last night?"

That brought the conversation back into perspective for Troy and he immediately shut up. He didn't know what to say to her about it. He really didn't. "Well?" Gabriella prodded. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"It just happened," Troy said lamely.

"You didn't do this to just toy with his feelings, did you?" Gabriella asked. "Because he doesn't deserve that and you know it."

"Hey," Troy said, getting a little angry at what the brunette was insinuating about him. "I would never try to mess with someone's feelings like that and you should know better. Ryan is one of my best friends. I would never do anything to hurt him like that."

"Well," Gabriella started, not really knowing how to ask what she was going to ask, "what does this mean? Are you two dating now?"

That question threw Troy for a loop. He honestly hadn't even thought about that aspect of everything. What did it mean about his relationship with Ryan? And to top it all off, he knew that Ryan had a crush on him. "I don't know," Troy said.

"You mean you guys didn't talk about anything after it happened?" Gabriella asked. "Oh my gosh, Ryan must be so confused right now."

"He's not the only one," Troy added quietly. "I mean, I didn't even think about it when I kissed him back last night. I was just so caught up in everything and it was so nice; I couldn't just leave it like that, you know?"

"So what you're saying is that Ryan's a better kisser than I am?" Gabriella asked, a smirk on her face. She almost laughed out loud as she watched his face go through several different emotions. He obviously didn't know how to react question without thinking he was offending her.

"Don't worry, Troy," Gabriella said, reaching out and putting a hand on his arm, causing him to look back at her, visibly calmed. "I was just joking; besides I bet you two are pretty cute together."

That caused Troy to blush furiously and duck his head. But Gabriella wasn't going to let him get away with ducking out of the conversation. "So, what are you going to do about it, Troy?" she asked. "Do you like Ryan, you know, like that?"

"I don't know," Troy said. That phrase was very quickly becoming his mantra. "I mean, I really like him. He's fun to hang out with; he's a great golfer … and he is a really good kisser." The last part added as a mumble.

"That's really cute," Gabriella said with a sigh, leaning her arm on the table and resting her chin on her hand. "But I don't know if Ryan is really going to be into just having a casual make out buddy."

Troy blushed at that. "I don't think I really want something like that either," he said.

"Then what do you want?" Gabriella asked, trying to help him figure something out, hoping it would be something that both he and Ryan could live with.

"I don't know," Troy said.

HSM•••HSM

Ryan was walking through the clubhouse, making his way to one of the workout rooms. He had been avoiding Troy at all costs throughout the day, not really wanting to confront the issue of dealing with what had happened at the club a few days earlier. So far, he had pretty good luck. Too bad it wasn't going to last much longer. Just as if fate had planned it, when Ryan turned the corner, he came face to face with the shaggy brown-haired boy.

"Oh, um, hi Troy," Ryan said, blushing as though he had been caught doing something dirty. He was looking in every possible direction other than at his friend, even though that escaped Troy's attention, because he was doing the exact same thing.

"Hey, Ry," Troy said distractedly. "Sorry I haven't called or anything since the other night I've just been really busy."

Ryan turned back to his friend at that. He didn't really believe what Troy was saying, but it was nice that he wasn't just not talking to him. It was a good sign that he didn't completely hate him now. "That's okay, I was pretty busy, too," Ryan lied. He didn't want Troy to think he had been sitting pitifully by the phone waiting for his call. Which he hadn't, but just in case Troy might have thought that, he'd have an excuse.

"Yeah, so," Troy said, not really knowing where this conversation was going, and more than a little upset that he was letting that kiss mess up his friendship. He really enjoyed Ryan's company, and the blond had proven to be someone Troy just didn't want to give up on so easily.

He let out a frustrated growl, which made Ryan back up a bit, seeing as how he didn't really know what was going on with his friend. "Is something wrong?" he asked quietly.

"No," Troy said, "I mean yes. No. There's nothing wrong with us," he finished, gesturing between the two of them. "I just don't want what happened the other night to screw up our friendship."

Ryan stood there, just staring at his feet after Troy's revelation. He didn't really know what to think. He was glad that Troy didn't want anything bad to happen because of the kiss, but he was upset because it sounded as though Troy thought the kiss would only mess up their friendship. So, he resolved to just suck it up and pretend that everything would be just fine.

"Nothing has to be different if we don't let it be," he said, at first moving his hand to rest on Troy's shoulder, but pulling it back before it actually made contact. "We can just forget it ever happened."

Troy didn't know whether he wanted that or if he actually wanted to talk about it with Ryan, but from what he could tell Ryan didn't want to talk about it. And he didn't want to make things any more awkward between them. So he forced a smile. "You're right," he said. "We won't let it change a thing."

"Good," Ryan said, nodding his head, but not really agreeing with the words that were coming out of his mouth.

"So," Troy started. "Do you want to do anything later?"

Ryan was surprised at that, but decided to run with it anyway. "Sure," he said. "But I'm feeling like being lazy tonight. Do you want to just come over and watch a movie when you get off work?"

"Sounds good," Troy said, smiling. "I get off around 6 p.m. Do you mind if I go home and shower and stuff first? I can make it over to your place an hour after that."

"That's great," Ryan said, positioning himself to continue walking to the workout room he was heading to earlier. "I'll see you then."

Troy just watched as Ryan walked off, a small smile on his lips. "See you," he said to himself.

**A/N: Hurray for awkwardness! That's pretty much the theme of this chapter. I was really excited to start writing this chapter because it's like the turning point for everything. I hope you're all enjoying stuff and not getting too frustrated with all the characters and their silly misunderstandings.**

**I'm going to try and stockpile some chapters before school gets out in a month because I'm going to Europe for two weeks and I won't be able to update from there. So, keep your fingers crossed that I'll find some free time in the coming weeks. I hope you're all having a fantastic week and that you're all being productive in your own ways. **


	13. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

Just like he said he would, Troy showed up at Ryan's house just before 7 p.m. Ryan had dressed down and was currently wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a bright colored polo shirt. Troy didn't think he'd ever seen the blond so relaxed, he'd mused when his friend answered the door and Troy noticed he was walking around in bare feet. Ryan showed him into the living room where they would be watching movies.

Troy had been over to Ryan's house a few times, but he had never actually been inside, and his jaw dropped when he got his first look at the Evans' entertainment center. The TV was massive; Troy could have sworn it took up nearly the entire wall, and judging from the speakers surrounding the entire room, Troy guessed that watching an action flick in here would be like sitting right in the middle of the movie. He wondered why Ryan had ever agreed to come watch movies over at his place when he practically had a movie theater in his own home.

"Wow," Troy said, his mouth agape. "This is some pretty impressive stuff you've got here. We should have been watching movies here from the get go."

Ryan chuckled to himself. Every time a guy came over to their house they would just stare and drool at the entertainment system. And Ryan liked it, of course he did, but maybe it was just the fact that he'd always been around it that made him resistant to its effects. "Well, I'll let you pick out the movie while I go get some stuff to eat," Ryan said, walking out of the room and toward the kitchen.

Troy walked over to the shelf lined with DVDs. He scoped out the rows and rows of films. There were quite a few classic films that he hadn't even realized were out on DVD as well as the obligatory musical section, but he quickly skimmed past those. He went past the drama films and was in the middle of looking through the comedies when Ryan walked back into the room. The blond saw which movies Troy was looking at and commented, "Have you ever seen Uncle Buck?"

"I don't think so," Troy replied, looking through the movies, trying to find it. "Is it a comedy?"

"Yeah," Ryan said setting down the food he brought from the kitchen on the coffee table before walking over to his friend. "It stars John Candy. It's probably one of his funniest movies. It was made in the '80s, and you can definitely tell, but it's still pretty hilarious."

"Let's watch that, then," Troy said, finally finding the movie and taking it off the shelf, handing it over to his friend.

"Are you sure you don't want to watch something with a little more octane?" Ryan asked, smiling. "I saw how you were eyeing those speakers when you first came in."

Troy laughed. "Well, I wouldn't be opposed to an action flick," he said. "But if this movie really is as good as you say it is, then I think I can wait. Besides, we've got all night to watch whatever the heck we want. I don't need to blow out my eardrums from the very beginning."

Ryan smiled at his friend and then took the movie over to the case that held all kinds of electronic gadgets, including but not limited to the DVD player. Once getting everything set up, he grabbed the appropriate remotes and turned to find Troy already sitting on the couch, his shoes discarded in front of the couch. Troy saw his friends gaze and smiled back. "What?" he asked. "I can't be comfortable, too?"

Ryan laughed and went over to the couch, jumping on it next to his friend in an unusual display of merriment. He pointed on remote at the television screen and then another at the DVD player. Troy heard the clicks as the machines turned on, and soon the two were engrossed in a film.

Every now and again, Ryan would find his attention stolen from the film and placed onto his friend. He loved the sound of Troy's laughter and this was definitely a film that was eliciting quite a bit of it. Ryan watched as his friend shifted positions on the couch, moving one leg under another during different parts of the film. He watched as Troy brought his thumb to his mouth and chewed on the fingernail, seeing his lips form a smile behind his hand during a subtly funny moment.

A few times, Troy turned his head and caught Ryan watching him. Ryan would blush and immediately turn his head back toward the movie, which left Troy free to watch him. He couldn't take his eyes off the petit blond. Everything he did had a graceful air about it; the way he crossed his legs and folded his arms against his chest, the way he shifted himself on the couch depending on whether he thought a scene was outright funny or just awkward funny. No matter how hard he tried, he could get out of his mind the memories of what it felt to be pressed up against him at the club the other evening. Once, in the middle of one of those thoughts, his breath hitched a little too loudly, causing Ryan to look over at him. They shared a look before both slowly turning back toward the television set.

The rest of the film proceeded in much the same way, both Troy and Ryan sending glances at one another and averting their gazes when caught by the other. If someone had been watching them, he or she probably would have laughed themselves stupid at the two boys.

"That was really good," Troy said when the credits started to roll on the movie. "I don't usually like older movies, but this was actually pretty funny. The clothes were funky, too."

Ryan laughed at his friend. "Yeah," he agreed. "I'm glad you like it. It's too bad John Candy couldn't have lived longer. I would love to see what kind of movies he could make now."

Troy nodded in agreement and then leaned back against the couch. "So, what are we going to do now?" he asked. "I want to see something that puts your stereo system to the test."

"I've got just the movie," Ryan said as he got up from the couch and made his way over to the shelf of DVDs. Troy couldn't help but watch as Ryan bent down to find the movie he wanted, his eyes glued to the blond's rear end as the fabric of his shorts pulled tightly against his body. He let out a quiet sigh when Ryan stood upright again and moved over to the entertainment system. "What did you pick out?" he asked from his position on the couch.

"You'll see," Ryan said as he fed the disc into the player. After he was finished, he turned to walk back to the couch. He wasn't paying too much attention to what was in front of him and right before he reached his seat, his feet became tripped up in something, causing him to lose his balance. He felt his body start to fall over and the next thing he knew he was lying haphazardly in Troy's lap with his friend's arms wrapped around his shoulders.

They had probably shot out in reflex, but Ryan couldn't help but note how comfortable he felt wrapped up in them. Before he let himself think too much about that, however, he looked back to the floor to see what had caused him to trip and saw Troy's shoes tangled up around his feet.

"Look what you did this time," Ryan said, looking pointedly from Troy to his shoes. "This is why you're not allowed to feel comfortable here."

"I'm sorry," Troy rushed out, not seeing the smile on Ryan's face. "Are you okay? You didn't hurt anything did you? Let me help you up." As he finished rushing out his apologies, he wrapped his arms more tightly around his friend's torso and began lifting him further up his body in an attempt to bring Ryan back on the couch.

With a quick jerk, Troy found his gaze level with Ryan. His efforts stopped as he looked into his friend's blue eyes and he was suddenly very aware of the fact that Ryan's body was lying firmly snug against his. He could hear his breath coming out in erratic spurts, never taking his gaze off the blond.

Ryan, too, was completely aware of the situation but also found himself completely drawn into Troy. He found himself slowly moving his face closer to his friend's, but paused before actually making contact. But where he stopped, Troy picked up the slack and soon their mouths were crashing against one another.

It started off as a simple kiss, but soon, the two found themselves running their hands up and down each other's bodies. Troy lifted Ryan so that his knees were able to rest on the cushions of the couch on either side of Troy's legs, and yet their mouths never lost contact.

Ryan was surprised when he felt Troy's tongue pushing into his mouth, but wasn't going to fight it. He opened his mouth just enough for Troy's tongue to slip in. He gasped, causing his mouth to open wider and allowing the brunet's tongue further access, when he felt Troy's hands running up and down his back underneath his shirt.

Not wanting Troy to be the only adventurous one, Ryan moved his hands down to Troy's stomach and ran them along the hem of his shirt before pushing it up, allowing him access to Troy's firm abs. Troy moaned and bit down softly on Ryan's lower lip, causing the blond to let out a groan as well.

The two probably could have gone on like that for hours barring any interruptions. Unfortunately for them, fate had different plans. The movie Ryan had put in chose that time to begin playing, and since it was a movie that was going to put the Evans' family stereo system to the test, it started off with a rather large bang.

That noise caused Troy to jerk back, and when his eyes fell on Ryan's face, he went stiff. This wasn't how things were supposed to happen. This was too quick. He shouldn't have been doing this. Especially when he had just told Ryan earlier that day that they wouldn't let that one kiss affect their friendship.

Ryan looked on with a concerned gaze as he watched Troy withdraw from him. He leaned back, trying to distance himself, and went a little too far back, causing him to topple onto the floor. Troy took that opportunity to stand up. He looked around the room nervously. Ryan saw his hands fidgeting at his sides. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. They were supposed to enjoy a nice movie and just hang out. This wasn't supposed to happen.

"I have to go," Troy said, causing Ryan to jump out of his thoughts and back to the present.

"Troy, wait," Ryan started, holding out his hand. "Don't go. We need to talk about this."

"No, I—I just need to go," he said, not really paying attention to his friend still sitting on the floor. He moved to grab his shoes and then began to quickly walk out of the room.

Ryan didn't have the heart to yell after his friend, not to mention follow him out of the house. Instead, he brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He rested his forehead on his knees and let out a deep sigh. This was not supposed to have happened.

HSM•••HSM

Troy was screwed. There was no way around it this time.

After he had fled Ryan's house, he'd hopped in his car and just started driving. He had no place in mind and after a few minutes he felt like he was reliving the same scene from a few days prior. There was no way he was going to Gabriella's this time, however. He didn't need to talk to her any more about his mixed up love life. There was only so much he was willing to tell any one person and he had already reached that level with his ex-girlfriend.

He'd been driving for a few minutes when the proverbial light bulb went off in his head and he started making his way toward his best friend's house. Chad was friends with Ryan and would be able to offer an opinion on the situation. Troy just hoped he wouldn't freak out about anything, but really, his friend freaking out about this was the least of his worries right now.

Troy pulled up in front of his friend's house and got out of his car. The garage door was open, and seeing as how he was basically a part of the family, he walked through it and into the hallway of the main floor. He walked through the quiet house and then down the stairs to the basement where Chad's room was. As soon as he reached the basement, the silence was drowned out by whatever the newest CD was that Chad had gotten.

He would have knocked on the door, but figured that his friend wouldn't be able to hear it through all the noise, so he just pushed it open and stepped in. The sight he was greeted with was Chad kneeling on his bed, tennis racquet in hand. His eyes were closed and he was leaned back slightly rocking along with the music that was blasting out of his stereo. Troy couldn't help but laugh at his friend; there were many more sides to Chad Danforth than he let the student body of East High know about. And this just happened to be one of them.

Once the song stopped, Chad opened his eyes and saw Troy standing in the doorway. As a knee-jerk reaction, he tossed the racquet to the side and fell back on his bed. He bounced off the mattress and stood upright. "Dude," he said, waving a hand in Troy's direction, "ever heard of knocking?"

Troy smiled. "It's not like you would have heard me even if I tried," he said. "Besides, why would I knock and ruin a perfectly good photo op?"

"You didn't take any pictures, did you?" Chad asked nervously. "Because if anyone knew that I did stuff like that, they'd laugh me right off the basketball court."

Troy just shook his head and moved further into his friend's messy room, maneuvering past the piles of clothes and textbooks over to Chad's desk. He pulled out the chair and took a seat. "No, man," he said. "I didn't take any pictures. Your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks, man," Chad said. "That's a load off my mind."

Chad moved back to his bed and took a seat before leaning back against the headboard and facing his friend, who still hadn't told him exactly why he was in his room right now. "So, dude," he said, looking at his friend questioningly, "not that I don't enjoy seeing you, but why are you here? You didn't call or anything."

Troy let out a deep sigh and turned his head away from his friend. He didn't say anything for a moment, but finally started. "I needed to talk to someone," he said. "But I don't know how you're going to take what I have to tell you. I don't even know how I'm taking what I need to tell you."

Chad leaned forward, staring at the brunet intently. "What is it, man?" he asked. "It sounds important. It's nothing bad, though, is it? Do you need my help with something, because, dude, we're totally in this together."

"I made out with Ryan Evans," Troy said, no beating around the bush this time. "I made out with him today and I've made out with him before."

His revelation was followed by silence, which caused him to look back toward his friend who was currently staring at him, mouth agape. "You did what?" Chad asked. "Because it sounds like you just said you made out with Ryan Evans, and that it wasn't the first time."

"That's exactly what I just told you," Troy replied. "I just came over here from his house. We were kissing and then I just freaked out. I didn't know what to do and I just left. I needed someone to talk to and you were the first person I thought of."

Chad sat there again, in complete silence. He didn't really know how to respond to his friend's confession. It wasn't like he was disgusted by the idea, and it's not like he hadn't ever entertained the idea, especially considering how Troy and Ryan had been acting toward one another for the past month, but still, it was a shock to hear that his best friend, who had previously been dating a girl, was now making out with a guy. And judging from his friend's current situation, he had to assume that it was just as much a shock for him. "Well, I guess I'm flattered that you thought you could come talk to me about it," Chad said. "But I really don't know what you want me to tell you."

Troy ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know either," he said. "I just don't know what's going on. I mean, what the hell?"

"Do you like him?" Chad asked.

It seemed like a simple enough question, but it still threw Troy for a loop. He really liked hanging out with Ryan and doing stuff with him, and if he was completely honest with himself, he'd have to admit that when Ryan's attention was focused on someone else, he got a little jealous. But still, did that mean that he should be making out with his friend? "Sure, I like him a lot," Troy said, answering the question his friend asked, but still being able to avoid the underlying one that was at the heart of this discussion.

"Yeah, I know you like him," Chad said, recognizing Troy's blatant avoidance of the question. "But do you _like_ him? Would you rather be spending time with him than other people? Do you get jealous when he's not completely focused on you? Do you enjoy kissing him?"

Damn. Chad had seen through everything. Why was this so complicated? Why did it matter to him who he liked? Why was he driving all over town talking to people about this? Why did life suck so hard sometimes? "Of course I _like _him," Troy finally said in an outburst. "Why would I be freaking out so much if I didn't like him? I can't get him out of my head. Everything we do with each other. I wake up in the morning and wonder if I'm going to run into him at work. I can't wait to hang out with him on the weekend. I hate it when I see other people looking at him like they just want to take him into another room and do unmentionable things to him. Of course I like him!"

Chad just leaned back against his headboard, a large grin plastered on his face. "Then why are you here?" he asked. "You should be off with your loverboy, not here talking to me about your feelings."

Troy just looked at him incredulously. "I can't believe you're taking this so well," he said. "I mean, I just came here and told you that not only have I been making out with another guy, but that I want to date him, and you're just sitting there smiling like you've won some huge bet."

Chad just laughed. "Now that would have been a good idea," Chad said, in reference to the bet. "I mean, come on, Troy. How could you possibly think that no one would notice the way that you and Ryan act around one another? The way you both light up when the other walks into the room. The way you have both been attached at the hip for the past month. It's a wonder we didn't have a pool going on at the club."

Scarlet. That was the color of Troy's cheeks after Chad has finished his little schpeel. He looked down at the floor and then back up at his friend. "I guess I was too busy just being with him to actually notice anything," he said. "I just got freaked out when all of this stuff started to happen, you know?"

"I can't say I do," Chad responded, laughing a little. "I mean, I've never made out with another dude before."

Troy shot his friend a look. "You know what I mean," he said. "I never expected for anything to happen between me and any guy, let alone Ryan Evans. I just freaked. And then I bolted."

"You mean you just left him wherever you were without any explanation?" Chad asked, completely perplexed by this latest development.

"Well, yeah," Troy said. "I had no idea what was going on. Do you think that was bad?"

Chad gave his friend a look as though he had just sprouted another head. "What do you think?" he asked. "What would you think if you were making out with someone and then that person just got up and ran out of the room without any explanation?"

"Shit," Troy said, resting his head in his hands. "I didn't even think about that."

"Well, it sounds to me as though you had other things on your mind at the time," Chad said. "But what do you plan on doing about it?"

Troy just shook his head, which was still in his hands. "I don't know," Troy said. "I mean, do you think Ryan will even talk to me?"

"I don't know, man," Chad said, shrugging his shoulders. "What are you going to say to him?"

Troy didn't have an answer for that.

HSM•••HSM

Shit.

Ryan had no idea what to do now. He had promised himself that he was going to push his feelings for Troy down until they wouldn't cause a problem for him anymore, but as their movie night had just proven that wasn't good enough. He couldn't be trusted to be around Tory without letting his emotions get the best of him. And now he had no idea what he was supposed to do.

By the way Troy had jetted out of the room, Ryan could tell that their friendship was as good as ruined. Why couldn't he just keep his hands and mouth to himself? He'd always let his emotions get in the way, and now he'd ruined any chance of even having Troy as a friend. And even though it would hurt to be Troy's friend and eventually watch him fall for someone else, he would rather have that friendship than nothing at all.

He balled his fist and hit the floor upon which he was currently sitting. Just a few moments ago, he'd been having a great time watching a movie and just hanging out with Troy. And then he had tripped and let his racing teenage hormones take control of everything. And then he landed on his ass and watched as the boy of his dreams ran out of his house.

Ryan had initially thought about calling Troy, to apologize and promise it would never happen again as he was obviously disgusted by it, but had decided against it. He didn't think he could handle Troy yelling at him over the phone or just hanging up on him. Maybe it would just be best for Ryan to give Troy his space, give him the time to get over everything and then maybe they could just go back to being friends, or at the very least, Troy wouldn't hate him.

Yes, that would have to be his plan of action. He would just avoid Troy and let this whole situation blow over. It would be hard, for sure, but he would suffer a little loneliness now in order to salvage his friendship. He let out a sigh and leaned his head back against the couch, resigning himself to his fate.

Life sucked.

HSM•••HSM

It had been a week. A whole week since he and Ryan had made out in the blond's house. It had also been one week since Troy had lost all contact with his friend. Every time he called, he got the voicemail and all of his messages went unanswered. He'd tried sending emails, instant messages, texts. He probably would have tried smoke signals if he was sure that Ryan knew how to interpret them. But all to no avail. Every form of communication was rejected. And that didn't even include his time working at Lava Springs.

After the weekend, Troy was sure he'd be able to corner Ryan somewhere in the club, but apparently if he didn't want to be contacted, there was no way Troy was going to be able to do it. The blond had remained persona non grata every day Troy was at work, and it was really starting to get on his nerves. He had a few really important things he needed to talk about with Ryan—really important things.

Once he figured out that it was going to take some ingenuity to be able to find and corner his friend, Troy had resulted to stalking Ryan's last known whereabouts. Some might have called it awkward, but those people probably didn't know exactly how much this meant to Troy. He was determined to find him. One time, he saw a head of blond hair from a distance and had immediately dropped everything he was doing to sprint over to the figure, only to find out that it was one of the club's older members who just so happened to wear a toupé that did not fit him at all. It was a little embarrassing, but it could have been worse, seeing as how Troy was more than prepared to tackle his friend in order to get him to talk.

After that incident, he had taken to discretely following Sharpay around. He figured the twins would eventually meet up for something, and when they separated, he would make his move. It just so happened that his opportunity came just after the lunch rush in the dining room that afternoon. Ryan and Sharpay were having lunch with their mother and Troy had decided to take up his old gig for just a while in order to wait on the three. When Ryan had seen Troy approach the table, he looked like he wanted nothing more than to jump and run, but he knew he'd have way too many questions to answer from his mother if he did that. So, instead, he just stat there staring at his napkin, fidgeting awkwardly.

Troy had been polite, the consummate gentleman, actually. He'd taken their orders and catered to their every whim. When they were finished with the meal, Mrs. Evans had been the first to leave while the twins sat and finished up their conversation. Troy saw this as his chance. He went out to the table, and instead of bussing the plates, he took a seat right across from Ryan. He never let his gaze leave the blond's face. In response, Ryan started fidgeting even more. Sharpay noticed the tension between the two, and for once, not wanting to be a part of it, she excused herself, leaving the two of them alone at the table.

"So," Troy started, still staring at his friend. "Are you going to tell me why you're avoiding me or are you going to make me guess?"

Ryan still didn't make eye contact with the brunet. He was both frightened at what Troy would have to say, and ashamed that he had been so transparent in his actions. "I didn't think you'd want to deal with me, so I just made the decision for you," he said after a long pause.

"What do you mean, make the decision for me?" Troy asked. "I've been trying to get a hold of you for the past week and I haven't heard a single thing from you. No replies, not even a courtesy email or text. That's not like you."

For some reason, that caused something in Ryan to snap. "How did you want me to act, Troy? You were the one who just bolted from my house the other evening. How was I supposed to take that?"

Troy's expression softened at hearing the tone of Ryan's voice. "Look," he started. "I admit that wasn't the best way to handle things, but I didn't know what was going on and I needed to think over some things."

"You weren't the only one who didn't know what was going on," Ryan said, finally looking up at the brunet. "I tried to stop myself from liking you and wanting to kiss you, but I couldn't. Every time I'm around you I can't help myself."

Hearing that come from Ryan caused a smile to spread across Troy's face. "Unless you didn't notice, you're not the only one who can't stop himself," he replied. "You weren't the only one kissing somebody. I just freaked out because of what it meant to me. I didn't know how to deal with it. But I know now."

"What are you talking about?" Ryan asked. By the way Troy was talking it sounded like he almost liked kissing him. He didn't seem to be freaked out at all, and he was sitting here having a civilized conversation with him. Maybe he had misevaluated the situation and Troy wasn't upset with him.

"I'm talking about you and me. I'm talking about the fact that I can't seem to get enough of you no matter where we are. I'm talking about the fact that I've practically been stalking you for the past week just trying to be able to talk to you," Troy said. "I'm talking about how I like you, and how I'm pretty sure you like me."

Ryan just sat there, not knowing what to say. Not in a million years did he ever expect something like this to happen. He actually moved his hand over to his other arm underneath the table so that he could pinch himself to make sure he wasn't actually dreaming. "I don't know what to say," Ryan finally said.

"You can tell me that my feelings, however confusing they are for me right now, are returned," Troy said, smiling. "It would make me feel a little less awkward."

Ryan just chuckled softly and shook his head. "Of course I like you, Troy," he said. "Who in their right mind wouldn't? You're like the perfect guy."

That caused Troy to blush prettily, but he remained silent. The two sat at the table without saying anything for the next few minutes, mostly because they were trying to soak up everything that had just happened.

"So what does this mean?" Troy asked.

"What do you want it to mean?" Ryan replied with a question of his own.

Troy thought about it for a minute, then answered. "I don't know how this whole thing is supposed to work out or anything, but I know that I think of you as more than a friend. I know that I don't want to let you go without making sure we're on the same page," he said.

"And what page would that be," Ryan asked, trying to keep his hope pushed down, but failing to keep it out of his voice.

Troy smiled back at him. "Well," he said, "I feel kind of silly asking you out, but I can't think of anything better."

Ryan's heart soared. He couldn't believe that Troy was actually asking him out. It wasn't really the most romantic of situations, but that hardly mattered to someone who thought they had just lost one of his best friend, but ended up getting a boyfriend out of him instead. "That sounds just fine," Ryan said, his smile threatening to break his face in two.

"I just," Troy started, "I don't want to disappoint you or anything. I don't really know what I'm doing. I just know that you mean a lot to me and I want to try this."

At that, Ryan got up and moved to the other side of the table so that he was sitting next to Troy. "You don't have to worry about that," he said. "All you have to do to make me happy is be yourself. I don't want anything else."

"Are you sure?" Troy asked, thinking this was all a bit too simple.

"Definitely," Ryan replied.

Troy looked at Ryan and was happy to see that everything seemed to go back to normal, or at least, to the way it had been before. Ryan was happy. And that made Troy happy. So happy, in fact, that he leaned over and placed a soft kiss on the other boy's lips.

"Sealed with a kiss," Troy said when he pulled away. Ryan just smiled and then leaned back in for another.

**A/N: Oh. My. God! They finally did it! What do you all think? They're finally together and I couldn't have been happier to write that scene! I hope you all enjoyed it. I know there was a lot of stuff leading up to it, but as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder, yeah?**

**So now we've reached the halfway point of the story. The next half will be focusing on their developing relationship and everything that comes along with it. You'll get to see all the good things about senior year of high school and also some of the nerve-wracking things. The second half of the story will probably be a bit more fast paced because I'm going to start incorporating the time jumps that I used a lot in After the Music to skip through periods of time.**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review!**


	14. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

Ryan pushed the door to his bedroom open and walked through, followed shortly thereafter by one Troy Bolton who closed the door behind him. The two had been seeing each other for about two weeks now and were still very much in the honeymoon phase of their relationship, whatever it was. It was actually a lot like what they had been doing for a majority of the summer, except now there was kissing. A lot of kissing.

They had constantly been stealing away during all times of the day, whether or not they were at the club, relishing the times when they could just be with one another and explore their new relationship. It was a very exhilarating experience, being able to freely and physically express their feelings to one another. Troy enjoyed the quiet moments the most. The ones where he was able to just sit with Ryan, he'd usually throw his arm around the blond's shoulders or pull his body close so that they were pressed up to one another.

Ryan enjoyed the times when there were physically close. He'd always wanted to just hold hands with Troy. That simple act represented so many of his feelings. He loved being able to run his hand up Troy's arm, or tangle in his the blond's hair. He loved resting his head on Troy's shoulder, breathing in the scent that was uniquely Ryan's.

They had been careful to just let on things as usual, that they had made up after their argument and that things were just back to normal. Chad was glad to see that the two were getting along once again, but he didn't press Troy anymore on the matter they had discussed, which suited Troy just fine. He didn't feel like disrupting the peacefulness that his and Ryan's relationship had caused in his life.

He turned around and watched as Ryan plopped himself down gracefully on his king-sized bed. He still couldn't get over how big Ryan's bed was. He loved coming over and hanging out in his room simply for that fact. And it wasn't because anything of a sexual nature ever happened. It was just a soft, warm place where he could wrap himself around his boyfriend and just be.

Troy walked over to where Ryan was sitting and sat down right next to him. Then he lay down right there, his body flush against the blond's. Ryan turned on his side and leaned his head on Troy's chest. "This is nice," he said. "A nice game of golf in the afternoon, and then relaxing with my boy— uh, you." Ryan caught himself right before he slipped up and called Troy his boyfriend. They still hadn't had the time to discuss what exactly they were, and Ryan didn't want to rush anything, not wanting to scare Troy away by defining what they were too soon.

The brunet just smiled, not noticing Ryan's almost slip up, and slid his arm underneath Ryan's body. He enjoyed these moments, too, even though he was a bit less vocal about them. "You know, now that we're dating, you could at least let me win a game of golf every now and then," Troy said, enjoying the slight vibrations against his chest as Ryan laughed.

"You know I couldn't do that," Ryan said. "Relationships are always best built on foundations of honesty and I don't think we could keep it up if I just let you win."

"Ha, ha," Troy said before reaching around him in the pretences of giving the blond a hug. But that just made it all the more easy to begin tickling Ryan, who immediately reacted to Troy's wandering fingers by curling up and kicking his feet.

"Sto-Stop," Ryan said in between short breaths and bursts of laughter. "I-I give. I give."

"Tell me that I'm an amazing golfer and that I could beat you at any time," Troy said, not letting up at all, mostly because he wanted to hear Ryan say it, but also because he liked it when the blond got all flustered like he currently was.

"You're amazing," Ryan said, barely getting it out between breaths. "You could beat me at any time."

"Good," Troy said, stopping the tickling, but still leaving his hands resting on Ryan's stomach. "It wasn't quite what I said, but it'll do." He then leaned down and placed a soft kiss on the blond's lips.

"Mmm," Ryan said. "Keep that up and I'm just about likely to say anything you want me to." He then reached his arms up to wrap them around Troy's neck, just staring into the cool blue eyes of East High's very own basketball star.

Troy just settled his lower body against his boyfriends and rested his remaining weight on his elbows as he stared back at Ryan. These were the times he liked the most, just the two of them. They didn't have to pretend anything was different; they didn't have to think about the fact that a majority of the world thought what they were doing was wrong. They could just be Troy and Ryan.

"Do you think we'll ever tell people about us?" Troy asked, bringing up something he had been thinking about ever since it sunk in the fact that he and Ryan were definitely in a relationship, even if they hadn't actually defined it yet. It became a more important issue to him when he realized that he would be starting his senior year in just a few days. He didn't know what he was going to do around all of his friends if he couldn't be open about certain things in his life. It was something that had been troubling him for awhile, but hadn't brought up with Ryan seeing as how he didn't know how the blond would react to that kind of a conversation.

He knew that Ryan was open about his relationship with Austin, but he didn't know how that all changed with the fact that Troy himself was not out, hell he didn't even know exactly what he wanted to identify himself as. It also didn't help that they weren't actually official, yet. He wouldn't necessarily call himself gay because he had only ever been attracted to one guy. But the fact that he was seeing another guy would mean that he was, for all intents and purposes, in a gay relationship. He had a feeling that Chad would be okay with everything, and he knew that Gabriella would probably throw a party for the two of them, but that didn't mean he knew how anyone else would react to something like this. And coming out in high school was a big freaking deal. There was just so much to consider about it and he didn't really know how to go about doing it.

It probably would have been a completely different story if Troy had been out before he started seeing Ryan, but the fact of the matter was that was not the situation they were currently in. They had a lot to think about and a lot of people to take into consideration before doing anything.

"Well," Ryan started, removing his hands from Troy's neck and moving to sit up, causing his boyfriend to do the same thing, "eventually we will, right? I mean someday."

"Obviously someday," Troy replied. "But I mean, do you think we'll tell our friends now about it. Like, anytime soon? Or are we just going to keep sneaking around like this?"

Ryan was silent for a moment after that, mulling over how he was going to phrase what he had to say. "I don't know," he started. "I mean, Don't you just like being like this. If no one knows we don't have to worry about what they think. We don't have to conform to what other people think about us or anything. We can just be us; we can have this. I like this."

Troy smiled and placed a kiss on Ryan's cheek. "Don't get me wrong," Troy said, hoping Ryan wouldn't get upset with him, "I love these moments, too, but I don't know if I'm ready to be dishonest with everyone just so we can have this. What about that old saying those that mind don't matter and those that matter don't mind? Don't you think that makes any kind of difference?"

"I know," Ryan said. "And I don't really have any explanation for the way I feel, I just—I just don't want things to get too hard and for you to think I'm not worth it."

And with that, Troy finally understood. "Oh, babe," he said, moving in closer to Ryan. "Trust me; that's not going to happen."

"You say that now," Ryan started, not really looking at Troy. "But what about when people start asking questions? When they look at you differently? When they stop talking when you walk into the room? Will you be able to handle it then?"

Troy didn't really have a response for that. He'd never had to deal with anything even remotely resembling that before and he had nothing with which to base his opinions.

"Can we just stay the way we are for a little bit longer?" Ryan asked. "I'm not saying forever, but just for a little while."

Troy sighed. He knew he wasn't going to win this time, and really, he didn't have too much of a problem with the two of them keeping it under wraps for just a little bit. Besides, even though he had only been seeing Ryan for a few weeks, he found that he could very rarely say no to anything the blond asked of him. "Yeah," he said. "For a little bit."

HSM•••HSM

Troy gripped the basketball in both hands preparing to pass it to one of his teammates. It ended up having the desired affect on the person guarding him and Troy watched as Jason moved to the side to block the pass. In the blink of an eye, Troy had changed motions and extended his arms upward to shoot the ball toward the hoop.

Needless to say, the ball went in and Jason swore. "Dammit," he said. "Why do I always fall for that? You'd think that because we've been playing since grade school, I'd be onto you by now."

"I don't know," Troy said. "Sometimes you just can't handle someone this smooth, regardless of how long you've been playing with him. Sometimes, these mad skills just get the best of any opponent and you just find yourself at the mercy of some truly amazing tal—"

The brunet was cut off as the air escaped his lungs due to the basketball that Jason had just shoved in his stomach. "Oh, shut up," he said, walking off the court in Troy's backyard to grab one of the bottles of water that was waiting for them on a table near the porch. "Your ass is grass next time, trust me."

Troy just smirked and followed Jason over to where Chad and Zeke had already taken a seat. "We'll see," he said, grabbing a bottle, twisting off the cap and dumping some of the cool liquid over his head. He then proceeded to shake it out, causing his friends to hold up their hands in attempts to block the rogue water droplets from hitting them. He just laughed.

There were times like these that Troy didn't realize how much he missed until he was with his friends once again. He'd been spending all of his free time with Ryan lately, and had neglected to spend any time with his other friends. Not that he didn't love spending all of his time with Ryan, but this was nice too, in its own way. When Ryan told him that he was going shopping with his sister today and that he'd probably be busy for most of the Saturday, Troy immediately jumped at the opportunity to set up a scrimmage game in his back yard with his friends. It was a particularly hot day, and with only four people, they had all decided to play shirtless, which would have been nice for anyone passing by, but Jason definitely was going to have a nasty sunburn by the time they were done.

The friends sat around for a while, just catching their breath, and drinking their much needed water, until Chad spoke up. "Dudes," he started. "Did you guys here about John Amaechi?"

"John Amaechi?" Jason asked, confusedly. "Who's that?"

"Haven't you been watching Sports Center at all?" Zeke asked, surprised that any one of them didn't know about it. "The story's only been the main talking point for the last few days. And it really didn't help with Tim Hardaway shot his mouth off about it."

"Okay, you obviously have to fill me in because I have no idea what you're all talking about," Jason finally said, which was good, because Troy didn't really get it either. He just sat, waiting for the explanation.

"Okay, well," Chad started, trying to get straight all the information with which he had been bombarded over the last few days. "John Amaechi played college ball for Penn State and then played in the NBA for five years. He's releasing an autobiography next week and in it he admits that he's gay." Chad stopped to make sure that all of his friends were up to speed. He looked over at Zeke to make sure he was getting the story right.

"Okay," Jason said. "I get that, but what's the big deal? He's gay. So what? Tons of people are gay and they don't write books about it."

"Yeah," Chad agreed. "But he's the first pro basketball player to come out. And that's not really what all the news channels have been playing up, it's the fact that Tim Hardaway went off on the whole thing."

"What did he say?" Troy asked, now particularly interested in how this conversation was going. "Was it really bad?"

"It definitely wasn't good," Zeke responded, taking over the storytelling duties from his curly-haired friend. "He basically said that he hated gay people. He doesn't like being around them and that it has no place in sports, this country or the world. The press has been eating him alive for it all, but I don't think he's going to take any of it back."

Troy remained silent at all of this. He hadn't really considered the fact that people out there would hate him because of only one part of his identity. Being gay, or even just liking one guy in particular didn't make up the entirety of his existence, but there were people out there who would completely dismiss him because of that one thing. And it had even more of an impact because it this was all taking place in the realm of professional sports. The one thing he had always dreamed of becoming was a pro basketball player, and to think that there was that kind of hate out there just under the surface scared the crap out of him.

"That's crap," Jason said. "What the hell does Tim Hardaway know about society at all anyway? People like him just piss me off. They're the ones whose opinions have no place in this world."

It was times like this Troy was glad he had the friends he did. It did a lot to reassure him about his place around them, but there was still that lingering feeling. He knew he wouldn't be around these people for the rest of his life. Sooner or later, he'd come across someone that didn't agree with his lifestyle and then what would he do? Maybe Ryan was right just wanting to keep their relationship unknown for a little while. He didn't need everyone else heaping their expectations on top of him while he was still trying to figure out what exactly Ryan meant to him and what their relationship would be like.

Being in this relationship was going to be a lot more work than Troy had initially considered. It wasn't and couldn't be like any other relationship he'd had. But even considering all the challenges he was going to face, he thought he had made a good decision.

"You guys ready for another game?" Zeke asked, putting the cap back on his water bottle and setting it on the table. "I feel like Jason has some revenge he wants to get against a certain star athlete."

"Bring it on," Troy replied, happy for the distraction from his current thoughts. He was by no means done thinking about it, but he would definitely take up his friends on creating a diversion for him.

HSM•••HSM

Ryan and Sharpay exited yet another shop with yet another bag slung around their forearms. Some people thought that shopping for new school clothes would be a fun way to start off the school year, but for the Evans twins it was just as important as getting good grades. They had to have the newest styles and multiple variations of them in order to maintain their air of superiority and, of course, to impress all the new incoming freshman. It was really a mission more than it was an adventure.

"Well," Sharpay said consulting a list in one hand, "I think we've only got a few more stores to hit up before we take off, but you know, then we'll probably have to spend the rest of the day coordinating our outfits for the first week."

"While I'm happy to hear that you think it's almost time to go, because honestly, I don't know how much more room your car has in it, we've already made three trips out there," Ryan started. "I don't know how thrilled I am about spending the rest of my Saturday organizing clothes."

Sharapy looked at her brother with a scandalized look. "Honestly, Ryan, sometimes I don't know who you are and what you did with my brother," she said. "Ever since you started hanging out with Troy Bolton so much you seem to have a distinct lack of interest in all things fashion. And I don't like it."

"Come on, Shar," he said, rolling his eyes. "You know that I'm still committed to helping you wow the pants off every other student at East High, I just have other things I like to do, too."

Sharpay gave her brother a look. Ever since he told her about kissing Troy, she'd been suspicious of all his actions. She always asked more questions than needed and was always doubtful about the explanations he gave. Which was completely warranted, seeing as how he hadn't told her about the latest developments in his and Troy's relationship, but it was still weird, this change in their relationship. It wasn't that Ryan was some mindless drone who always did what Sharpay told him to, but he'd never had any reason to not go along with her, so he hadn't. Now he had a reason, and it was kind of nice to separate himself from his sister and become more of his own person.

"Well, whatever these other things are," Sharpay started, "I hope you realize that blood is thicker than water and we better be walking through the doors of East High on our last first day of school the same way we've done the last three years."

"And what way would that be?" Ryan asked, trying to keep the laughter he felt from coming up. Sometimes, his sister really did take herself entirely too seriously. But it did make for some fun times.

"Strikingly beautiful and awe inspiring," Sharpay said while flipping her platinum blond hair over her shoulder. "You can expect nothing less from an Evans, and you should know that by now."

Ryan had to look away from his sister to keep from doubling over. He loved her, but sometimes … While looking away, however, he spotted someone he hadn't seen in a while, and given the latest developments in his life, didn't really feel like chatting with right now. He tried subtly moving his sister in a different direction once he noticed Austin hadn't yet spotted them, but either he was too slow or his sister put up a bit too much resistance and before he could get them out of the way, he heard a voice calling after them.

"Ryan!" he called. "Sharpay, wait up." After garnering Sharpay's attention, he began walking toward the twins, a grin on his face. "Well, fancy seeing you guys here. But then again, it is almost time for school to start; where else would you be?"

"Austin," Sharpay said, reaching out to shake his hand. "It's so nice to see you. It's been such a long time. What have you been up to? Are you here getting new clothes for school, too?"

Ryan would have let out a sigh if it wouldn't be perceived as rude, but damn his sister. Of all the times she picks to be cordial to other people, she just had to pick this time. All Ryan wanted to do was get out of the mall and see Troy, and now he was stuck dredging up old memories while talking to his ex-boyfriend.

"I've been doing fine," Austin said, responding to Sharpay's question while focused completely on her brother. "A lot of things are changing, though. They actually started after Ryan decided to call it quits between us."

"Austin," Ryan started, not really wanting to bring up issues that were better left in the past, "we don't really need to—"

"It's okay, Ry," Austin said, cutting off his former boyfriend while putting his sneaky skills to work and slipping and arm around him. "We don't need to dwell on the past, especially when we have an exciting future to look forward to."

Ryan didn't really know what Austin was going on about, but it as well as the arm currently around his waist made him feel incredibly uncomfortable. He hadn't really interacted with Austin much after they broke up; they had communicated mainly through text, and then it was only a few messages. This whole meeting was currently throwing him for a loop and he didn't really know how to react. The only thing he was fairly positive about was the fact that if Troy were here, he would probably freak out at seeing Austin's possessive grip on him.

"So, what are you doing here?" Sharpay asked, noticing that her brother was a bit uncomfortable.

"Well, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to add some red to my wardrobe seeing as how I'll be needing more of it next year," Austin said, a big grin on his face that did very little to ease Ryan's feelings of foreboding.

"What are you talking about?" Ryan asked. "Why will you need more red?"

"You twisted my arm, babe," Austin replied, causing Ryan to frown for multiple reasons. "My parents thought it would be a good idea that I transfer to a public school for my last year of high school and I couldn't have agreed with them more. I'll be coming to East High this year! Isn't that exciting?"

Exciting was definitely not the word Ryan would have chosen to describe the situation. Disaster was probably more apt. He was almost positive that Austin's parents would never have made that decision without a lot of prodding from their son, which left Ryan with the question of why Austin would want to do that. And the only answer he could come up with was not something he really wanted to think about at all. He ended up looking over at his sister, trying to gauge her reaction because he didn't really understand how he was actually going to react.

She smiled and Ryan couldn't tell if it was forced or not, and he cursed her acting abilities. "Well, we'll be happy to have you around," she said.

HSM•••HSM

Ryan was able to steal away from his house after a while planning outfits with his sister. Troy had texted him and told him to meet at the park near the high school and Ryan was more than happy to oblige. He hadn't seen his Troy since the night prior, and seeing as how it was almost sundown, it was probably the longest he had been without seeing the brunet since they started dating. And he was itching to get in some quality Troy time.

When he got to the open space of the park near the baseball field, he spotted Troy standing by one of the larger trees. He smiled Troy wave when he finally spotted him and then began jogging over to the brunet. Troy reached out and grabbed Ryan around the waist when he was within range, he then gave a quick glance around to make sure they were alone before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "How was your day?" he asked Ryan.

"Oh, you know how shopping with Sharpay can be," Ryan said, waving his hands as if that explained everything. "But we did run into Austin at the mall," he finished, hoping Troy wouldn't ask too many questions about it.

"What did he want?" Troy asked. He hadn't heard anything of or from Austin since he found out that Ryan had ended things between the two. It had actually been pretty weird; Ryan didn't talk about him at all. In all honesty, Troy had kind of forgotten about the other blond.

"Oh, not much," Ryan said off-handedly. "He just told me and Shar that he was going to be coming to East High this year. He said his parents wanted him to get a new experience or something like that."

Troy frowned. "Are you okay with all of this?" he asked. "I mean, things between the two of us are different now and are you going to be okay with all of us going to the same school?"

"I'm sure things will be fine," Ryan said, only half believing himself. "I mean, he'll have to eventually accept us, right? Just like everybody else. And if he doesn't like it, he'll just have to deal with it. This is between the two of us and no one else."

Troy had been with him until that last comment. He was suddenly reminded of his conversation earlier with his friends about the gay basketball player. As much as he really wanted their relationship to just be between the two of them, he knew that others would still have their opinions. They would still be affected by what others thought of them. And he wasn't just referring to Austin. What would college recruiters think of his relationship? And even if they didn't care, what about the other players on the team? What about his parents? It was all so much to think about, and all so overwhelming.

Ryan immediately picked up that something was wrong. Although he didn't know exactly what it was, he had a feeling that it had to do with him talking about their relationship becoming official. Maybe Troy had reconsidered what they had talked about earlier. And Ryan couldn't really blame him, they hadn't really talked much about having an official relationship. Troy had never agreed to be Ryan's boyfriend; they were just seeing each other. Hanging out, with kissing on the side.

"Oh," Ryan said, beginning to pull himself from Troy's grasp. "I see. I uh—I don't want to make things any harder on you than they already are."

"What?" Troy said, coming out of his ruminations and feeling Ryan trying to move away. "What are you talking about? Harder than what already is?" He tried to keep Ryan close to him. He knew that things would be hard for them, but he didn't want to give up on anything so quickly, especially not something he thought was going to end up meaning quite a bit to him.

"What you were saying," Ryan said, obviously confused. "I thought you were afraid of going public about, well, whatever we are. I didn't think you wanted to be my boyfriend."

"No," Troy said quickly, hoping to stem Ryan's worries. "That's not what I meant at all. I was just thinking about this conversation me and the guys were having earlier today about this basketball player who came out and I guess the sports world is going nuts about it."

"Oh," Ryan said again, still thinking his suspicions were being confirmed. "Well, I guess it's better we find out about this all now than later when things could have been more serious." After he finished he resumed trying to get out of Troy's arms, still not seeing the difference in the explanation as long as it ended up with the same result.

"Wait," Troy said, gripping Ryan tighter, still trying to get the blond to stop his movements. "What are you talking about? I didn't say anything like that. I was just thinking. I mean, sure, if and when things happen it will probably be more difficult for me and if I don't end up being able to play college ball or pro ball then that's that. It's not something we have to worry about right now."

Ryan was now more confused than he had been since this whole conversation began. "I thought," he started, but then changed tactics. "But you've only ever dreamed about playing professional basketball. I don't want you to have to give all of that up, especially if it's just for me."

"Even if it's just you," Troy repeated, not understanding why Ryan was talking about himself as though he didn't matter. He softly cupped Ryan's chin and brought his face so that they were incredibly close and facing one another. "Ryan, there are some things that are more important than basketball."

"But I thought—" Ryan started, but was cut off before he could get anything else out.

"You think too much," Troy said before leaning in and placing a soft kiss on the blond's lips. When he pulled away he smiled at the dazed look that was on Ryan's face. "Look, I know that we don't really know exactly what we're doing right now, but you need to know that I'm in this. I _really_ like you. And I'm willing to find out exactly what this could be for the both of us. That is, if you're willing to work for it, too."

Ryan smiled and finally leaned in closer to Troy, placing his head on the firm chest in front of him. He hadn't realized how tense the whole situation had made him until it was finally over and he was able to relax.

"Come on," Troy said, nudging the relaxing blond. "Let's sit down. I want to hear all about your shopping adventure with your sister."

Ryan left the warm cocoon of Troy's embrace and sat down with him against the tree, finding a nice spot in between Troy's legs. He soon felt Troy's arms wrap themselves back around him as he settled back and began regaling Troy with his tales of the mall, letting him know about all the good deals they found and all of the cute outfits he got for school.

Troy just chuckled and leaned his forehead against the back of Ryan's. He didn't really pay too much attention to what he was saying, but did make noises at seemingly appropriate pauses. He was more focused at just being with the boy who was beginning to mean a whole hell of a lot to him.

**A/N: So, I'm not sure how many of your are familiar with the John Amaechi story, but I did take a few liberties with the actual date of the whole thing so that I could fit it into the story. If you're interested, has some great stories about all of it. There are some pretty good quotes to get from it, if you're into that kind of thing.**

**But anyway, how was that? A nice progression and a little bump in the road for our two boys … and what's going on with Austin? You heard right, he is coming back into the picture. You'll all just have to wait and see what all of this means. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Please review!**


	15. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14**

Ryan closed his locker door and turned to face his sister who was still looking at herself in the mirror she had just installed in her locker. It amazed him sometimes what all his sister was able to get away with. Who else but Sharpay could have a pink locker with a full-size mirror installed on the inside of the metal doorframe? Then again, money spoke to many people. And the principal of their high school was no exception to that rule.

The last few weeks of summer break had been a whirlwind of preparation and fun for Ryan. He and Troy had settled into what could only pass for normalcy in their pseudo-relationship, spending more time with each other than with anyone else. Ryan was glad that he and Troy had already been spending so much time with one another before they decided to start seeing each other because that meant no one really noticed a difference. They only really acted like a pseudo-couple when they were alone. And that meant that Ryan didn't have to deal with what he was sure would be innumerable questions from his sister if and when she found out.

But now they were all heading back to school, and he didn't really know how this new dynamic would help or hurt his relationship with Troy. It was one thing to be a couple during the carefree days of summer, it was completely different when you threw the senior year of high school and all the pressures that came along with it into the mix.

They hadn't really talked much about school, except to complain about the fact that they didn't want their days eaten up by classes, teachers and homework. Addressing how their relationship would change by being in such close quarters with over 2,000 students hadn't really been a topic of discussion, and Ryan was just fine with that. He didn't want to do anything that would rock the boat, and he was content to just be with Troy whenever he could, under whatever circumstances.

"We need to make sure we start scoping out the new talent to take over the drama club for us when we leave," Sharpay said to her brother, finally looking away from the mirror and pulling Ryan away from his thoughts. "I mean, we can't just leave them to their own devices. Who knows what they'll do without our guidance, but we can at least set them up for an okay year."

Ryan smirked. It was true that they're leaving would be a big loss for the drama department, but he didn't know if it was really all that Sharpay was making it out to be. But he would go along with her, if only to keep her from throwing a colossal temper tantrum, which was something nobody wanted to see.

As he looked around the hallway, he was struck by how young all of the new students looked. They all looked confused, walking around the halls with their schedules out, trying to find the correct classroom. He laughed as he thought back to his freshman year. He wondered if he had ever looked like that on his first day. He probably didn't, but that was only because Sharpay had made them come before the school had opened in the fall so that they could get their lay of the land. She refused to ever let people see her as anything less than perfection. From her outfits and hair, to her grades and performances, Sharpay never let anyone see her squirm.

"None of these freshman will do," Sharpay said as she too looked out at the sea of new students. "They're all so … young. I bet none of them could sing and dance at the same time."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Ryan asked.

Sharpay then turned to her brother, her eyes set like steel. "We're going to have to take a hard-nose approach with the drama club and class this year. We can't allow any slacking. Everyone in drama has to be completely focused this year and then hopefully that will carry over after we're gone," she said.

Ryan just nodded his head, knowing that he would have to counter his sister's tyrannical ways in order to make sure people stayed in the drama club even if Sharpay made it unbearable for some.

The twins continued to stand by their lockers and chat about their plans for the year, not really paying too much attention to anything that was going on around them until Ryan felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his head and a grin broke out across his face. He had to resist the urge to throw his arms around Troy in greeting; instead, he settled for a bright smile and a quite hello. Troy smiled back and lightly touched Ryan's back in an intimate gesture — one that no one could actually see. It was something the two had perfected during the end of the summer.

"How does it feel to be a senior?" Troy asked, smiling at Ryan.

Sharpay, however, was the one to answer before Ryan could even think of a response. "Well, you know," she said, "it's good to know that people will finally start giving us the respect we deserve. I also only have a half schedule this year, so I'm not too worried about the time commitment I'll need for my classes."

Troy nodded in understanding, not that he understood her point of view, but he understood that Sharpay would have said something like that. "What about you?" he asked the other blond.

"I don't know," Ryan said. "I've only been here for a little while. I've still got a lot of things to experience before I give you a rundown on how I feel about it all."

"Well I for one—" Troy started, but was cut off as someone came by and knocked him off balance. By the time he got his bearings again, he had been shoved away from Ryan and was now looking as Austin had his arm draped over Ryan's shoulders. The two had talked about the fact that Austin would be joining them at school, but that didn't make it any easier for Troy to watch as Ryan's ex-boyfriend hung on him like a damp towel. Especially when it had meant that he had been shoved out of the way so he could get there. He wanted to reach over to Austin and wrench his arm off Ryan, but he knew he couldn't do that without garnering a few questioning glances.

Instead, he walked calmly back up to where he was. "Hello, Austin," he said, trying to sound as unaffected as he could. "Ryan told me you'd be coming here this year."

Austin flashed a fake smile and then turned back to the twins. "Leave it to Ryan to prepare the welcome wagon for his close friends," he said, pulling the blond closer to him. "That was so sweet of you."

Ryan looked over at Troy and tried to convey how awkward he felt in a look. He knew having Austin here was going to cause some tension, but he didn't realize that Austin was going to be so … well, Austin-like. He should have realized that something like this would happen. Maybe he just wanted to think that nothing could burst the little bubble he had created around his and Troy's relationship. But now it was time to start facing the realities of things.

"It's almost time for the warning bell to ring," Ryan said, disentangling himself from Austin's grasp, much to Troy's delight. "And I don't want to be late to my last first day of school."

Troy stood still and smiled at Ryan as he walked past him and then down the hallway. When he saw the blond's form disappear around a corner, he brought his attention back to Austin. "I hope you have a good first day at East High," he said to the other blond, holding out his hand.

Austin looked at the proffered hand and wrinkled his nose before grasping the strap of his messenger bag and looking back at Troy. "I'm sure I will," he said before taking off down the hallway.

Troy just let out a sigh and leaned against one of the lockers. He didn't know how much longer he was going to be able to handle Austin and the first day of school hadn't even technically begun yet. Eventually, when the warning bell for first period rang, he pushed himself off the locker and headed to his first class. He didn't even notice that Sharpay was still standing in the hallway watching everything that had just transpired.

HSM•••HSM

Ryan walked into the theater and let out a sigh of relief. It had been a long day, but now he was going to his oasis amid the desert. Advanced drama class, which was only offered to seniors, was always held in the theater as opposed to the drama classroom and Ryan was more than happy to leave the hubbub of the rest of the student body safely on the other side of those doors. He walked down the aisle to the stage and set his bag in one of the chairs before hopping up and sitting on the edge of the one place he could never seem to get enough of. Surely, his sister would be coming through the door in a bright pink flourish in a matter of minutes, but for at least a little while, he'd just take in the quiet moment before everyone got there.

After several moments, Sharpay burst through the theater doors, true to form, followed by several other members of the advanced drama class. Ryan smiled and waved to some of his friends whom he hadn't seen since the end of the last school year. Soon he found himself turned around, sitting in a circle, engaging in conversation with all of his drama friends. He was so engrossed in catching up with his friends, that he didn't even notice as Sharpay let out a quick gasp and stopped talking. In fact, he didn't realize anything was going on until he felt a tap on his shoulder.

For the second time that day, he turned around to face one Troy Bolton. "What are you doing here?" he asked, still smiling. "Don't you have a last period class? You didn't say anything about not having a full schedule."

Troy just tossed his bag on the floor and plopped down rather ungracefully next to the blond. "I wanted to surprise you," he said quietly. "I thought it would be nice to just find out we had drama together. Besides, it's not every day you find me sitting on a theater stage."

Ryan laughed and nudged the brunet in the side. He was incredibly happy that he and Troy had another class together. But he was even more excited that Troy thought about surprising him. That made his heart swell in his chest and once again he found himself having to actively resist the urge to wrap his arms around the basketball star.

Suddenly, another bag was dropped next to him and he turned just in time to see Gabriella sit down on his other side. "What's going on here?" Ryan asked. "Who is coming in next? Chad?"

Gabriella laughed and leaned her head on Ryan's shoulder. "Not likely," she said. "I just thought it would be a nice change of pace to take drama this year instead of taking another elective science class. I knew you would be here, but I had no idea Troy was signing up for the class."

She looked over at her friend with a raised eyebrow, which caused Ryan to turn and look at Troy who was currently blushing. Ryan thought he looked cute when he blushed, but that was beside the point. "So, now you two are going to experience the drama club's inner workings," Ryan said, a devious smile on his face. "Are you sure you can handle it?"

Troy visibly gulped, he hadn't really considered that part of the whole deal when he went to the guidance office last week and requested that he be put into advanced drama instead of taking yet another weightlifting class. The only thin he'd had on his mind was seeing the look of surprise when Ryan found out that he'd be in the class. And the look hadn't let him down, but now he was at a loss for what he was actually supposed to do in this class.

The three friends began chatting amiably, each telling the others about their first day back and many of the new experiences they were expecting to have. They continued talking for quite some time, apparently Mrs. Darbus was running a bit late, but that didn't really bother any of them. They were enjoying the nice break after a long day. Finally, the theater doors opened again and their teacher walked through. Unfortunately, she was followed by another blond boy. Ryan heard Troy let out a slight groan, and even though he didn't let his feelings run rampant, he felt the exact same way.

"Students!" Mrs. Darbus yelled. "Before we begin what I'm sure will be another challenging yet fulfilling year of practicing the true art of the theater, I want to take a moment to introduce you to our newest student." She then motioned to Austin, who was standing next to her with a smug smile.

"Austin comes to us for his senior year having had much experience in the performing arts department of his former high school," she said, looking at the other blond as though he would be the saving grace for the drama club, and Ryan had to admit, that Austin had probably done his best to make her think that was exactly what he was going to do. "I hope you all welcome him into the fold and embrace his many talents as they can only help to improve our own."

With that, Mrs. Darbus motioned for Austin to join the rest of his classmates on or around the theater stage. He made his way over to where Troy and Ryan were sitting and took a seat on the opposite side of Ryan from where Troy was sitting. Troy let out a quick breath, but was satisfied that at least Austin wasn't hanging all over him like he had earlier.

The class passed by more slowly than Troy had initially thought it would. He tried to pay attention to what was going in, he really did, but he couldn't stop glancing over at the two blonds sitting next to one another. Every time Austin would make a slight movement, Troy's eyes would focus on them, trying to make sure nothing was going on that could be considered untoward. He had been caught off guard several times by Mrs. Darbus' booming voice coming at him with a question that he had no answer to because of his inattention.

Things were made worse because of Austin's constant chatter. Troy, every now and again, would hear the blond whispering something to Ryan. He could tell that Ryan was trying his best to ignore him, but every now and again, he could hear Ryan's soft chuckle at something his ex-boyfriend was saying to him. In those quick moments, Troy could feel his jealousy rising to epic proportions. It was a feeling he hadn't really expected to have, but having the feeling wasn't what really surprised him, it was the intensity of the feelings that had him more distracted from the class than anything else. It was the first time that everything seemed to be _really_ real. His relationship with Ryan was not just something he did behind closed doors that didn't apply to the rest of his life. It was a real relationship. And that was occupying his mind much more than breathing styles could ever hope to.

Eventually, the class came to an end, and Troy was more than happy to leave the school day behind so that he could leave for the uncomplicated black and white world of basketball. He'd grabbed his bag, got up off the stage and was almost out the door before he felt someone grab his shoulder. He stopped and turned his head to see Ryan, who had apparently jogged up the aisle to catch up with him.

"Hey, where are you going?" Ryan asked, slightly confused. "I thought that since we ended the day together, we could hang out for a bit."

Troy had been so consumed in his thoughts about Ryan that he had completely forgotten the fact that he had been sitting right there next to him. "I'm sorry, Ry," he said. "I have to get to the gym for a basketball scrimmage. Are you busy afterward?"

Ryan thought for a moment. "I was going to head home," he said, "but I could come back and pick you up afterward. Is that okay?"

Troy smiled. "That sounds great," he said. "We usually get done around 5 o'clock. You could come by and get me and then come over for dinner. Mom has been asking about you and how come you haven't been by to see her recently."

"I love your mom," Ryan said, laughing. "That sounds great. I'll see you then." He let his hand drift from Troy's shoulder to his elbow and he gave it a slight squeeze before pulling away, but was stopped by Troy who looked around quickly to make sure no one was around before leaning in and giving Ryan a quick peck on the cheek.

"I'll see you later, " he said.

HSM•••HSM

Troy was standing outside the gymnasium in one of the student parking lots waiting for Ryan to come pick him up. The basketball scrimmage had done nothing to clear his head like he had hoped it would. He missed several shots he should have made and just generally didn't have his head in the game. His dad had noticed and had been all over him for the stupid mistakes. He was glad when the scrimmage was finally over and just grabbed his stuff, leaving the gym without even taking a shower.

He was pretty sure Ryan was going to make a comment about it, but he didn't want to spend anymore time thinking about Ryan without Ryan there. It was confusing and even he didn't understand what he was doing, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was getting back to Ryan.

It only took a few minutes before Troy saw Ryan's bright blue car pull into the school parking lot. He pushed himself off the side of the brick building and began walking out to where the car was pulling up. When it came to a stop, he moved to open the door and was immediately blasted by the beats of some new pop song. He leaned down to smile at Ryan and tried to say something, but was drowned out by the now fading strains of whatever song the blond was listening to. He noticed and reached to the stereo console, turning the radio down.

"Hey," Troy said as he tossed his bag into the back of the car and got into the passenger seat.

"Hey," Ryan replied, before leaning over to give the brunet a quick peck. When he pulled back he wrinkled his nose a bit. "Decided to bypass the shower today, huh?"

Troy laughed and shoved Ryan back over to his side of the car. He turned to reach for the seatbelt strap and looked out the passenger window over to the gym building. He was about to turn away when he spotted his father standing by the entrance looking over at where he was currently sitting in Ryan's car. Before Troy could stop himself, he gave his dad a quick wave before turning back to buckle himself in. "Let's go," he said to Ryan.

Ryan smiled at him and put the car into gear before pulling out of the parking lot. "Do you want to take the scenic route home or would you rather hurry back so that you can take a shower?" he asked. "Personally, I'd like to get you back as soon as possible so that you don't stink up my car."

"Just because of that, I want to take the long way," Troy said, sticking his tongue out at the blond. Ryan laughed and turned in the direction opposite of his house. Even though he worried about the smell of his car, he would risk it to spend some quality alone time with Troy.

They drove along in silence for a few minutes before Ryan broke the silence. "So, how was your first day back?" he asked. "Anything interesting happen to the mighty Troy Bolton?"

"Not really," Troy said. "Just the usual first day back, I guess."

"Oh really?" Ryan asked. "By the way you were acting all throughout last period, I thought something had happened to distract you from everything. You didn't even notice when I started running my fingers over yours. That took some serious skill to do that in class and not get caught."

"I, uh," Troy started. He really didn't know if he should talk to Ryan about how Austin was annoying the pants off him, or whether he should just stew about it. "I just don't like how Austin hangs all over you, you know? Ugh, I didn't want to talk about this, I just, I don't know. I don't like him. I never really liked him, but now I really don't like him."

"Troy," Ryan said, taking one of his hands off the steering wheel and reaching over to grab his hand. "You don't have to worry about anything. And as annoying as Austin can be, don't get angry with him. That's just how he is. All you have to know is that I picked you. I want you."

Troy squeezed his hand and went back to looking out the windshield at the passing scenery. "How about you?" Troy asked after a while. "Anything fun happen to you today?"

Ryan laughed. "Well, aside from the fact that you surprised me in drama class, not much really happened," he said. "I did stop by the counseling office though and picked up a few different applications and stuff."

"Applications for what?" Troy asked. He didn't know what Ryan could possibly be applying for on the first day of school.

"For college," Ryan said. "I need to start working on some of those applications really soon. Some of them are really involved and I don't want to let them wait until the last possible minute."

"Oh," Troy said. He hadn't even thought about picking up applications for anything. Which was kind of funny, since he'd been trying all summer to work for money to pay for college. He also didn't like talking about the end of the school year on the day it had just begun. For some reason it made him feel like there was an empty pit in his stomach.

"Have you started applying anywhere yet?" Ryan asked. "I don't think you've actually said what kind of things you're looking into."

Truth be told, he didn't really know what he was looking for in a school. It would be great if he could find someplace to play basketball, but he didn't know if that was really going to last. Sure, he was good, but the chances of him actually going pro were slim to none, and then where would he be? He loved sports and anything to do with athletics. For a short time, he'd considered following in his father's footsteps and becoming a high school teacher and basketball coach, but he had quickly let that go. He didn't want to have to go back and spend every day for the rest of his life in a school. It worked for some people, but it wouldn't work for him.

"I haven't really said anything because I don't really know what I want to do," Troy finally said. "I know I want it to be something to do with sports, but I don't want to teach like my dad and I know that my chances of going pro are probably nil. So, basically, I have no idea."

Ryan looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking back up. "Have you ever considered something like physical therapy or sports medicine?" he asked. "I mean, I don't know how much you like science, but you I know that you know a lot about sports and, well, I don't know, think about it."

"I'll think about it," Troy said, still holding onto Ryan's hand. "Gosh, I'm starving." He changed the topic so that he didn't have to focus on something he really couldn't control at them moment. He could, however, control his hunger.

"Well, it's a good thing we're almost to your house," Ryan said, laughing lightly under his breath. "You can stuff your face full as soon as we get there, although, I'm not so sure your mom will let you sit at the dinner table without taking a shower first."

HSM•••HSM

After dinner, Troy suggested that he and Ryan go for a walk through the park near his house, not really wanting Ryan to go home yet. Ryan, of course, agreed and the two set off from the Bolton residence. When they were a safe distance away and both certain that no one was around them, Troy grasped Ryan's hand as they continued walking along one of the lesser-traveled dirt paths.

"That was a really great dinner your mom made tonight," Ryan said. "She is a wonder in the kitchen."

"Yeah, she's pretty great," Troy said, continuing to walk. Eventually the two fell into a comfortable silence. Troy chanced a quick glance over at Ryan and his breath hitched as he watched the light from the setting sun reflect off his blond hair and create a light halo around his head. He was struck by how gorgeous the blond was. It was then that he also realized he couldn't blame Austin for trying to win him back, either. Who wouldn't want him?

"I want you to be my boyfriend," Troy said all of a sudden.

Ryan stopped walking and turned back to Troy. "What?" he asked. He was pretty sure of what he heard, but it had been so sudden and so unexpected that he really needed Troy to say it one more time.

"I said, I want you to be my boyfriend," Troy said again. "I know we've been seeing each other and kissing and holding hands and all of that stuff, but I want to make it official. I want to know that you're my boyfriend and that I'm yours. I want to know that we're on the same page with everything. I want us to actually be us and not just you and me."

Ryan just stared back at Troy for several moments, not really knowing what to say. After seeing that his silence was making Troy nervous, he spoke up. "You have absolutely no idea how long I've wanted to hear you say something like that to me," he said. "I never really thought it would happen. And here we are."

Troy continued looking at Ryan, thinking that he was going to pick up where he left off, but apparently words were not forthcoming. "Well," he urged. "Are you going to answer me?"

"I thought I already did," Ryan said, looking back at the brunet. "Of course I want to be your boyfriend. I want nothing more than to be your boyfriend. I've wanted nothing more for a long time."

Without waiting a second longer, Troy wrapped his arms around Ryan, now his boyfriend, and brought him in close so that their lips pressed against one another. They had shared many kisses before that, but this one was probably the most gentle of all. After pulling his lips away he rested his head on Ryan's shoulder and inhaled his scent. It was so intoxicating, being with Ryan like this, away from everyone and everything in their lives that just served to complicate it. When they were like this, Troy imagined he could do anything.

He lifted his head and stared into Ryan's eyes for a moment. Ryan smiled shyly back at him and then leaned his head down to nestle in his boyfriend's chest. "This is nice," he said softly.

They stood there, in a small clearing, just silently holding one another for several minutes. "So, now that we're official," Troy started, "what do you want to do to celebrate?"

He felt, more than heard, Ryan's light laugh. "Why don't we go sit down by the stream?" he suggested. "It's really pretty down there."

"That's all you want to do?" Troy asked, waggling his eyebrow suggestively. "Are you sure I can't convince you of anything else. Maybe something a little more risqué?"

"You have such a one-track mind," Ryan said, pushing himself away from Troy, but not letting go of his hand. He began leading Troy down to the stream. "We can just be with each other, and if kissing happens, then it happens."

"I guess I can live with that," Troy said, dutifully following Ryan down the path to the stream.

Of course, much kissing followed.

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait, but hey, you can't rush greatness (I kid). It's been pretty busy around here, but I want to get at least three more chapters written before I leave in two weeks. Things are going to get more interesting, especially with Austin back in the picture. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for all your kind words about the last one. Please review!**


	16. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15**

It had been a week since classes started and everyone had seemingly fallen into, or back into, a routine of classes, homework and extra-curricular activities. The only huge change in the social structure of East High School came about during the lunch period. Now, instead of being cordoned off on the upper balcony of the cafeteria, Sharpay, Kelsi and Ryan now ate lunch with a majority of the basketball team, along with Taylor, Gabriella and Martha. It really was a hodgepodge of different people and interests, but it also provided some lively banter back and forth between all people in the group.

Troy and Ryan always made a point to sit next to each other during lunch as they didn't have many classes together, and even in their common courses, they couldn't really talk to one another. All in all, lunch was probably the time of day Ryan looked most forward to. Even if he couldn't hold on to Troy's hand like Gabriella and her new boyfriend did, or sit pressed up to Troy's side like Taylor did with Chad, he really did have the brunet's full attention for the half hour they were given every day to eat. They would talk about random things or make plans for after school. Sometimes, Ryan would even help Troy with his English homework.

By and large, this change in the group dynamic went unnoticed by most people, except for the few who knew to look for it. Most of them were caught up in the beginning of their last year of high school and adjusting to new relationships or making old relationships grow deeper. For the most part, people were not really paying attention to the two boys who sat at the end of the table and pretty much kept to themselves.

Every now and again, the whole table would engage in conversation, but those times were few and far between so far. Most of the time, side conversations or simple questions were flung across the table. Today, however, was a bit different. Austin had decided to join the table of friends and many of them didn't know what to do about him. He was obviously making Ryan uncomfortable, if the furtive glances at the people surrounding them were anything to go off, but for some reason, he was also having an effect on Troy.

"So," Austin said, leaning his head on Ryan's shoulder, "do you have any plans for this weekend? I can't decide if I want to go with my parents to Santa Fe or if I just want to hang around home. They're taking my brother and sister with them, so I guess I'd just be home alone."

Now, Ryan wasn't stupid. He knew that Austin was fishing for a reason to stick around and hang out. But if he was interpreting correctly the looks Troy was shooting at the two of them, he knew better than to give Austin any rope with which to hang the both of them. "I don't really know what I'm doing this weekend," Ryan said, heaving a sigh. "Sharpay was saying something about not waiting for the fall musical to be announced, and starting practice early, but I also have a ton of homework that I haven't even started."

"Oh, come on, Ry," Austin said, lifting his head off the other blond's shoulder and replacing it with both of his hands. "Don't be such a stick in the mud. Why don't you come over and hang out with me this weekend; it'll be just like old times."

"I don't know," Ryan started, trying to subtly pull away from his ex-boyfriend. "I mean, I really do have a lot of stuff I have to get done."

Troy watched the conversation, knowing that Ryan was doing everything he could to get out of hanging out with Austin, but the fact that the other blond wasn't just letting things go was really starting to tick him off. He had tried to keep his emotions under wrap for the entire week, but every time he saw the two together, Austin had his hands somewhere on Ryan's body. On his shoulder, draped across his back, on his arm — it was getting to be a bit too much for him.

He had talked with Ryan about it, and he had said he would do everything he could to minimize contact with Austin, but there was only so much he could do about it. Troy realized he was being a little overbearing, but he still couldn't help the feelings he felt when he saw it.

Troy looked around the table and could tell that not many of the people there were huge fans of the taller blond. He had come off as arrogant during the first few days of class and had then continued to grate on everyone's nerves throughout the week. Most of them could tell that Ryan didn't really want to be the center of Austin's universe, and they became vicariously annoyed with his behavior. This suited Troy just fine as it was easier to dislike someone when the rest of his friends weren't too keen on him either.

And then his attention was brought back to the conversation they were currently having. "Please, Ry," Austin asked, still trying to convince him that he should come over. "We haven't done anything together in such a long time. Don't you want to hang out with me anymore?"

Troy watched as Austin ran his hand up and down Ryan's arm in a very intimate gesture, and that was finally the straw that broke the camel's back. "Obviously, he doesn't," Troy said, interjecting his opinion into the conversation. Both Ryan's and Austin's heads whipped around at the comment, Ryan's eyes wide in shock that Troy would actually say that, and Austin's narrowed in contempt for the person he saw as taking over his role in Ryan's life as confidant.

"Butt out of this conversation, Bolton," Austin spat back. "It doesn't concern you." He was already turning around, considering the confrontation over and done with when Troy spoke up again.

"I think it does," Troy said calmly, even though he was feeling anything but. "We've all watched the whole week as you've been hanging all over Ryan and bugging the hell out of him. He's tried everything he could think of to let you down gently, but apparently you're just too dense to get it. So, I guess I'll just have to spell it out for you: He doesn't want to hang out with you. Hell, none of us do."

Austin's brows furrowed as he tried to process the information. He'd never let it enter his mind that Ryan actually didn't want to hang out with him. He'd just figured that Ryan was playing hard to get. Or that he just wasn't used to having them be together at the same school. He figured it would eventually go away and things would return to normal.

He turned back to Ryan and looked at him. "Is that true, Ry?" he asked. He seemed truly confused at that, and Ryan couldn't help but feeling bad for him. Even though, he had pretty much brought it all on himself. But before he had a chance to say anything, Troy spoke up again.

"I don't think he could make it any more clear," he said, folding his arms over his chest. "Now why don't you take a hint and go away?"

Austin looked back and forth between Troy and Austin and then at the rest of the table, who, at that moment, decided that the food on the plates in front of them was by far the most fascinating thing in the cafeteria. Then, without another word, he reached down to grab his bag before deftly getting up from the seat and walking away from the table and out of the cafeteria without a backward glance.

Troy watched the blond's retreating form with a sense of relief, that is, until he looked over at his boyfriend and saw him watching Austin. He noted Ryan's slumped shoulders and began to immediately regret what he'd done. He was just so frustrated.

Ryan turned to look at his boyfriend, and he had a resigned look on his face. "You shouldn't have done that," he said quietly. "I know he's annoying, but still …" he trailed off.

Troy then noted, with no small amount of horror, that Ryan was gathering his things. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"I have to go find Austin and talk to him," Ryan said plainly. Troy couldn't think of anything to say as he watched his boyfriend get up from the table and go after his ex. He hadn't really expected that to backfire on him, but then again, he didn't know what he had expected from that confrontation other than getting Austin good and far away from his boyfriend. Looks like the joke was on him.

HSM•••HSM

Troy had moped around school for the last half of the day, and didn't even bother paying attention in his classes. He didn't know whether he had really botched things with Ryan or if his boyfriend was just being nice to someone who had once meant a whole lot to him. Regardless of that, however, he just didn't like the feeling he got when he thought about Ryan leaving him in the cafeteria for Austin. He completely understood why, he'd done it, though. Troy didn't like the person he was when he let his anger take over. He didn't like how he had treated Austin, even though he still felt the blond somewhat deserved all he got.

The bell signaling the end of the school day had just rung and Troy was walking through the hallway toward the parking lot. He hadn't really been focusing on anything; it was almost like he was on autopilot going to his car and not paying attention to anyone or anything passing by him. If it weren't for the firm grip on his shoulder, he probably wouldn't have even known that his boyfriend was calling after him.

"Troy," Ryan said somewhat out of breath. "I've been calling your name and running like a madman down the hall after you. Most of the freshman probably think I've gone crazy by now. What's up with you?"

"Oh, I uh," Troy started. He really didn't know what was up. He was just as confused as Ryan looked, if not for a completely different reason.

"I waited for you by your locker, but you never showed up," Ryan said. "After waiting for a few minutes, I decided to come out to the parking lot to see if you were out here. Then I saw you and yelled, but nothing. Is something the matter?"

"I just—I didn't," Troy started, then let out a deep breath to collect himself. "I thought you were angry with me. I guess I've just been kind of out of it since lunch. I didn't mean to ignore you."

"Did you think I was mad at you?" Ryan asked, moving closer to his boyfriend. When Troy just bowed his head, he smiled softly and moved his hand to brush against the brunet's. "I'm not mad at you, Troy. I was frustrated, and as much as I want Austin to leave me alone, I didn't want to make him feel like no one liked him."

Troy raised his head to look at Ryan while he was speaking and he could see the glimmer of affection in his eyes. "You know you don't have to worry about me," Ryan continued. "I've told you a million times and I'll tell you a million times more how much you don't need to worry about me and Austin. And no matter what he does, just remember that I'm always going to turn to you."

"I know," Troy said. "And I do trust you, even though I realize I totally didn't display that at all today, and I can't believe we're already having this conversation, but I just get so frustrated with him."

"I know," Ryan agreed, still smiling. "Trust me, I know. But he's harmless. Just don't pay any attention to him and he won't bother you anymore."

Troy just smiled slightly and shook his head. He still didn't like Austin, and Ryan didn't say he had to, but at least he didn't have to worry about them being in a fight or anything. "So," Troy started, "do you want a ride home? I know my truck is a bit below your usual standards, but it'll still get you from here to your house."

"We'll see about that," Ryan countered, laughing lightly. "Of course I'd like a ride home. Even if it is in your metal death trap."

"Whatever," Troy said, smiling so Ryan knew he wasn't upset about the fun he was making of his car. "Let's go before one of the wheels falls off and you have to help me change it. God forbid your hands get dirty or something."

The two began walking to Troy's car, chatting amiably when they were disrupted by the loud motor and music blasting from the bright red sports car that pulled up in front of them. Troy didn't know who it was until the window rolled down and Austin's face came into view. Despite of the talk he'd just had with Ryan, all of those feelings he'd let loose during lunch came back to him in a flash. He felt Ryan stand closely behind him, and that caused him to relax a little, but he still had no interest in whatever the blond boy wanted.

"Hey, Ryan," Austin said from the driver's seat of his car, completely ignoring Troy. "You want a ride home?"

"Actually," Ryan started, "I'm getting a ride with Troy." He finished as he pointed to the old truck they were now standing next to.

"Oh, really?" Austin said, leaning over to take a look at the car. He pulled his sunglasses down and made a face, then pushed the glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "You sure I can't change your mind?" he offered again. At Ryan's shake of his head, Austin just shrugged his shoulders. "Okay then. I hope you make it home sometime today. If you don't, though, you've got my number."

Troy frowned but didn't say anything as Austin rolled up his window and drove off. When he pulled out of the parking lot, Ryan walked into his line of sight and gave him a look. "See," he said. "It wasn't that bad. You just have to ignore him."

Troy snorted and walked over to his side of the truck before unlocking it, hopping in and reaching over to unlock the passenger side of the vehicle. "It wasn't quite as easy as it looked," Troy said as Ryan got in.

"Maybe not," Ryan replied. "But you did it well."

The brunet just rolled his eyes and started up the truck. He pulled out and started his way up to Ryan's house. The two sat in silence for a while, Troy because his mind was thinking about how difficult it was going to be to just block Austin out and go about his life without ending Austin's. Ryan was quiet because he knew that Troy was processing a lot of information and just wanted to give him some time to go over it all. Also, he wanted to think of something that would distract his boyfriend from his troubling thoughts.

They continued riding in silence for several more minutes before Ryan caught a glimpse of a vacant parking lot. The idea formed in his mind in just a second and before he knew it he was motioning and telling Troy to pull over into the lot quickly. He made such a fuss about it that Troy pulled in just so he could stop and figure out what exactly was going on.

"What's going on?" Troy asked frantically after he had put the truck into park. "I didn't see anything. You started yelling and—and I just … why were you yelling?"

"I just wanted you to pull over," Ryan said very calmly, the exact opposite of how he had just been acting. "I didn't mean to frighten you or anything. I just needed you to pull over without asking any questions."

"You're not going to pull a crazy psycho murder scene on me are you?" Troy asked, looking at Ryan dubiously. "I mean, you didn't have me pull into this abandoned parking lot so that you could hack me up into little bits so that no one is able to find my body, did you?"

"Ha," Ryan said. He than unbuckled his seatbelt and moved over so that he was sitting right next to his boyfriend on the bench seat. "I made you pull over so that I could have a few minutes alone with you. I promise, it was as much for my benefit as it was for your own."

He finally had Troy's undivided attention. He entangled his fingers with Troy's and moved so that he was flush against the brunet. He leaned in and rubbed his face against the crook in Troy's neck, inhaling a bit and taking in the scent of his boyfriend. "Mmm," he moaned. "You smell good."

"Showers will do that for you," Troy said, shallowly. He was finding himself increasingly short of breath due to Ryan's proximity and the motions he was making.

Ryan's hands began to wander of Troy's polo shirt clad chest, and then in a moment of bravery, Ryan shifted his body and lifted one leg so that he could position himself to sit on Troy's lap. He was now facing his boyfriend, who looked almost frightened at what was going on. Ryan just smirked. "Are you going to kiss me or what?" he asked.

Even in his confusion, Troy didn't need any more invitation. He leaned in and placed his lips softly over his boyfriend's. He felt Ryan press into the kiss and he wrapped his arms around Ryan's midsection. Soon, he felt Ryan's tongue begin pressing against his lips and opened his mouth to grant him entrance. Soon he found his tongue moving against his boyfriend's and he shuddered at the sensation. He loved kissing Ryan. There was just something indescribable about it. It was so much different than kissing Gabriella. He had never gotten so worked up while making out with her, but with Ryan, it was a completely different story. He'd be thinking about kissing him at all different times of the day, thinking about how their lips felt when it came into contact, thinking about how he wanted to do it differently the next time, or he wanted to hold Ryan just a bit closer.

His thoughts seemed to center around Ryan nowadays, and he didn't really mind. After a while, the two pulled apart. "You're basically the best kisser ever," Ryan said, slightly out of breath.

"You're not so bad yourself," Troy replied, leaning forward to press his forehead against the blond's. "So, are we going to keep making out in the parking lot or am I going to get you home at a respectable hour?"

"I wouldn't mind sticking around here for a while longer," Ryan said before leaning in to place a quick kiss on Troy's cheek. "But Sharpay is expecting me home in a little bit. We should probably get going."

He began untangling himself from Troy and made it back to his side of the seat bench. He still kept his hand in his boyfriend's grasp, however. "Take me home, Jeeves," he stated while looking straightforward.

Troy just laughed and started the car back up.

HSM•••HSM

The first thing Troy did when he got home was toe off his shoes next to the front door. The one thing he loved about being home was that he didn't have to wear shoes. Heck, he didn't have to wear socks if he didn't want to. He padded through the hallway and into the kitchen where he heard some rustling. As he turned the corner, he spotted his mother standing by the counter scooping what appeared to be mashed potatoes out of a pot and into a serving bowl.

"Hey mom," he said, announcing his presence. "What's for dinner tonight? It smells pretty good."

His mom turned her head around and smiled at her son before turning back to the task at hand. "We're having pork chops, mashed potatoes and green beans, honey," she said. "Why don't you wash up and then meet me and your father in the dining room?"

Troy nodded his head and made his way to the bathroom near the entryway. He didn't realize until he was standing in front of the sink that he was lightly whistling a bouncy song. He didn't even recognize the tune, but he didn't seem to care. He just felt so happy, so fulfilled. But he always felt that way after some quality alone time with Ryan. He had caught himself in the rearview mirror smiling on the ride home after he dropped his boyfriend off at his house. For no reason at all, just because he could.

He turned on the faucet and ran his hands under the warm water before soaping them up. He looked up into the mirror and smiled at himself. Before leaving the confines of his truck, he and Ryan made plans to spend all day Saturday with one another. They'd probably spend most of the time at the mall, and even though Troy usually disliked shopping, spending the day with Ryan would almost certainly override that feeling.

With the water turned off, Troy turned around to dry his hands off on the bathroom towel before heading back out to the dining room. He walked in to see his mother and father already at their seats and serving up their plates. He took a seat on the side of the table between them, setting his napkin in his lap, he reached across the table to stab at some of the pork chops on the serving plate.

"How was your day, sweetie?" Troy's mom said from her spot at the table. "We weren't expecting you back so late. Did something happen at school?"

"Oh no," Troy started, trying to figure out how to explain what he was doing without actually telling his parents that he had spend about 20 minutes in a parking lot making out with his boyfriend. "I gave Ryan a ride home today and we just got caught up talking at his place for a while."

"Oh, Ryan, I haven't seen him in a while," Mrs. Bolton said, putting her fork down and smiling at her son. "How is he doing?"

"He's doing fine," Troy said around part of a pork chop that was currently in his mouth. "He's just trying to figure out what this year is going to be about, but that's pretty much par for the course. Everyone is trying to get things figured out."

"You and Ryan are spending an awful lot of time together, aren't you?" Mr. Bolton spoke up, conveniently ignoring the second part of Troy's little speech.

"Uh, yeah," Troy said, giving his dad a look. "That's generally what friends do. I'm sure you can remember all the way back to when you were in high school, can't you?"

"Troy," his mother warned him. "Don't antagonize your father. And don't speak with your mouth full of food. It's rude."

Troy rolled his eyes and went back to cutting up the meat left on his plate. They sat in silence for a few more minutes, the only noise being the clanking of the silverware on the dishes. Troy had just about finished what was on his plate and was debating on whether or not to go for seconds or just head up to his room to work on homework and possibly text Ryan when his dad spoke up again. "I saw you with Ryan yesterday," he said.

Not really thinking about the context in which his dad was bringing up the topic, Troy looked up again and gave his dad another one of those patented teenager looks. "Well, we eat lunch together and have some of the same classes," he replied. "I would kind of be surprised if you didn't see the two of us together at some point."

"That's not what I mean," Mr. Bolton said. "I saw you after the scrimmage." Seeing the blank look on his son's face he plowed on. He really wanted to get to the bottom of what was going on with his son. "After we were finished, I wanted to chat with you about the game; you seemed distracted. I went to the parking lot and saw you getting into Ryan's car."

Troy continued looking at his father as though he had grown a second head. He ran through the events of the day and after a few moments it dawned on him. When he'd gotten into the car, Ryan had given him a kiss. If his dad watched him get into the car, he had more than likely seen the kiss. And that would explain why he was currently getting the third-degree.

And then the weight of the conversation finally hit him. His father had seen a boy kiss him, and what's more, he'd seen Troy's lack of reaction and acceptance of the display of affection. His mind went blank. He'd thought of coming out to a whole slew of people — his friends, his teammates, he'd probably even thought about telling his parents for a brief moment, but those discussions had always seemed so far away when he was thinking about them. And now, here he was, in the middle of a discussion he had no way of controlling. The upper hand had been taken away the minute his dad saw him and Ryan kiss. And now he had no idea what to do.

"Look," his father started again, "I don't care who you're seeing, I just want to know that you've thought things through and you know exactly what you're doing."

"I do," Troy stated softly.

"Excuse me," Troy's mom interjected. She had been listening to the conversation between her son and husband, and while she had an inkling of what they were talking about she wasn't sure, and she didn't like being outside of any conversation, especially when it was an important one. "What are the two of you talking about?"

Troy looked back and forth between his mom and dad and hesitated only a moment before he spoke up again. "I'm dating Ryan," he said.

Mrs. Bolton nodded and then leaned back in her seat, trying to soak up exactly what this revelation meant for her and her son. She liked Ryan; she liked him a lot, and she knew from watching the two of them interact with one another that he was good for her son, but that didn't mean she was fully prepared for her son to admit that he was dating another boy.

The three of them sat in a pregnant silence for several minutes, none of them wanting to be the next to speak. Ultimately Mr. Bolton took that final step and asked the question that had been on his mind since the previous day. "Do you know what this could mean for your future as a basketball player?" he asked. "You know there aren't many gay athletes and there are even fewer—"

But Troy cut him off before he could finish the statement. "Of course I do, dad," he said, throwing his napkin across his plate, having lost his appetite. "Don't you think that's the first thing that ran through my head when I realized that I liked him? Being a basketball player is the only thing I've thought about for as long as I can remember. It was the second thing to go through my head, right after the thought that I _really_ like him."

"How long have you been seeing one another?" his mother asked.

"About a month," Troy said, smiling at the fact that he could brag about that small milestone for the first time to someone other than his boyfriend.

His mom just nodded her head in understanding. "Does anyone else know about your relationship?" she asked. "Or are we just the last people to hear about it?"

"No one else knows," Troy replied. "We've talked about it a few times and we just want to let things develop for a while, and then when we're comfortable with everything we can start telling other people."

"It's going to be hard for you," Troy's father spoke up again. "Not just having a relationship with another guy, but being an athlete at the same time. I just want to make sure—"

"Dad," Troy interrupted again. "I know it's going to be hard. I never thought it was going to just be easy. I mean, what do you think it was like realizing I liked another guy? It wasn't all roses. I just know that some things are more important than basketball. I can always pick another career. I'm good at a lot of things. But I owe it to myself to see if Ryan is the one for me, you know?"

"We know," his mom said, sending a look across the table that spoke volumes. "We just want to make sure that you're thinking everything through."

"I am," Troy said, placing his hands on the table and moving to push his chair back. "May I be excused?"

His mother just nodded her head and watched as he got up from the table and took his dishes into the kitchen. When she heard the faucet turn off, she raised her voice so that he could hear her from where she sat. "Troy," she called. "We love you. No matter what."

Troy poked his head through the doorway and smiled at her, then walked over to where she was sitting and bent over to place a kiss on her cheek. "I know, mom," he said. Then he left the dining room.

HSM•••HSM

Troy didn't text Ryan after he left the dinner table, but he did call him bright and early so they could plan things out for their day at the mall. That was about four hours ago and they had been at the mall for about three now. They would walk through the promenades and in and out of various stores. Every chance they could get, they'd interlace their fingers or brush up against one another.

Eventually, Ryan had his fill of shopping and the two found themselves sitting on one of the benches talking. "Gabriella won't leave me alone," Ryan said, laughing as he remembered the last conversation he'd had with the brunette yesterday. "She is convinced I'm seeing someone and she won't leave me alone about it."

"Well," Troy started, "you are seeing someone. A devilishly handsome someone if you think about it."

Ryan laughed and shoved his boyfriend on his shoulder. "I guess you're right," he said. "He's even more attractive when he's jealous, though. Maybe I should give Austin a call."

"Don't you dare," Troy said, reaching for the cell phone that Ryan had just taken out of his pocket. He smiled as he and Ryan played the keep-away game for a moment before Ryan shoved the phone back in his pocket. "Besides," he started once they had both calmed down, "you're not the only one who's been getting questions about relationships."

"Oh yeah?" Ryan questioned. "Do tell."

"My parents asked me about everything last night at dinner," Troy said, watching as the smile on his boyfriend's face was wiped off and replaced by a look of worry. "My dad saw us kiss in your car the other day after scrimmage."

"Oh no," Ryan said, covering his mouth with his hand. "I knew we weren't being careful enough. How did you get them to let you come out with me today if they know everything?"

Troy just shook his head and smiled. "You don't need to be worried about anything," he said. "They actually took it really well. My dad was worried that I wasn't thinking everything through, but my mom was really okay with everything."

"Really?" Ryan asked. At Troy's nod, he continued. "I knew I liked your mom for a reason."

"Yeah," Troy agreed. "She's pretty awesome. And I know she likes you, too. You should come over after we're finished here and see her."

Ryan nodded his head and the conversation died there. They continued sitting on the bench, each lost in their own thoughts and watching people passing them by. Ryan was definitely not expecting anything like this to happen, but now that it did, he couldn't deny that he was really happy about it. He was glad that Troy's parents knew about them; now they didn't have to hide things, at least when they were at Troy's house.

"Do you think it'll be this easy with everyone?" Troy asked.

Ryan turned to look at him. "I don't know," he said. "I think it would be naïve of us to think that everyone will be accepting. But we can hope, can't we?"

"Do you think we'll start telling people about us soon?" Troy asked again, scooting closer to his boyfriend.

"When the time is right," Ryan answered, leaning his head on Troy's shoulder.

**A/N: Woo! I bet you all weren't expecting that, were you? Now we're going to see how Troy and Ryan start navigating their relationship amidst all the obstacles that life throws at them. In this chapter I wanted to portray Troy's parents as being supportive, but still being kind of shocked about what was going on. I hope I did the situation justice.**

**I hope you've all enjoyed this chapter, now please review!**


	17. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER 16**

Troy was irritated. And it had everything to do with the fact that the homecoming dance was coming up and he had absolutely no idea what his plans were. One would think that because he'd been dating someone for the last two months that tiny little detail of procuring a date would be the least of his worries. But that was not the case.

It was a topic that he and Ryan had been arguing about for quite some time. Troy was convinced that they could tell some of their friends and nothing would change. Ryan, on the other hand, was less than convinced, and with good reason. While Troy had only come out to his parents, Ryan had been living the out life for quite some time, if not at school, then with his family and to the public at large. He had experienced much more of what the world had to offer men who loved other men. But that didn't make it any less irksome for the young brunet.

He'd wanted to go to the dance with Ryan, and he'd made his desires known the day the dance was announced, but Ryan had been hesitant to accept. There was only a week left until the annual high school event, and the blond had still not given him an answer. But that wasn't even the least of his worries. People had started wondering why Troy, arguably the most popular boy at the school, didn't have a date. Everyone assumed that Ryan was going to go with another guy—if he went at all—but no one expected that from Troy. And that was the argument the blond had kept using whenever Troy tried to bring up the topic.

Troy threw his head back against the wall and let out a sigh of frustration. He was currently sitting on the floor of the hallway near the auditorium waiting for the blond in question, who'd had to stay after classes to help his sister with something for the drama club. He really wanted to bring up the whole dance situation again, but was wary of the reaction that Ryan was sure to have.

His feet were just starting to get that weird tingly sensation in his leg one usually gets when the blood circulation is cut off just enough to cause a limb to go numb when the door to the auditorium swung open, revealing the slim frame of his boyfriend. Troy smiled at him, leveraged his weight on the floor and pushed himself into a standing position. He began walking toward the blond, but stopped when he felt the sharp tendrils of pain shoot up his leg. He winced, but shook it off and closed the gap between him and Ryan.

"I'm sorry for making you wait so long," Ryan said once Troy came to a stop a hair's breadth away from him. "You could have just gone home and I would have met you there."

"I know, " Troy began, stopping Ryan from babbling any more than he had to. "But I didn't have anything to do, so I thought I might as well just stick around. Besides, the more time I get to spend with you, the better. Not to mention the little detail of you having the car."

That caused Ryan to blush fiercely. He still, even after two months, wasn't quite used to hearing Troy be so up front about his emotions and their relationship. That was one of the main reasons why he felt so bad for always trying to turn the conversation around when Troy tried to get him to be his date to the homecoming dance.

It wasn't that he didn't want to go with Troy—God, how he wanted to go with Troy. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think that someone like Troy would ever ask him to the dance, and so it killed him a little bit every time he had to see that disappointed look on his boyfriend's face when he told him that he wasn't ready to do something so public. And it wasn't even the fact that he wasn't ready for something like that, he was just concerned that Troy wasn't really taking into account everything that could happen, everything that could change, by the two of them declaring to the world that they were seeing each other.

He wanted so badly to go with his boyfriend to the dance, but was too worried about everything that could happen. But he shook his head clear of those thoughts and gave his boyfriend a lop-sided smile. "Well, let's get out of here," he said, lightly placing his hand on Troy's elbow for a moment. "Maybe we can grab some coffee before we head to your place."

The two walked quietly through the hallways and out to the parking lot before getting into Ryan's car. It had become a habit for the two of them to come to school together. They switched off driving, but as the weather got colder and messier, they tended to take Ryan's—mostly because Ryan was afraid that Troy's car would break down and then they would be stranded and eventually die. The brunet always laughed when Ryan went on one of his disaster tangents, but agreed to the fact that Ryan's car was much more reliable than his own.

They got in the car, buckling their seatbelts. Ryan turned the key in the ignition, then placed his hand over the center console, placing the other hand on the steering wheel. He soon felt Troy's hand cover his own and turned his head to give him a quick smile before pulling out of the parking lot.

They drove in silence for a few minutes before Troy began speaking. "I know we've talked about this before, babe," he started. He'd started calling Ryan babe a few weeks ago. It had happened as a slip of the tongue, the first time, but when he saw how prettily Ryan blushed at being called that, he's continued it, but only in private. "I think we should go to the dance together."

Ryan closed his eyes briefly, and tried to pull his hand out from Troy's grip, but his boyfriend only tightened the hold he had. "Troy," he said, taking in a deep sigh. "I really don't want to talk about this. I've already told you I think it's a bad idea."

"I know you think it's a bad idea," Troy said. "But I don't. And I wish you'd just take a minute to see it from my point of view."

"It's not that I'm not seeing your perspective, Troy," he countered. "I just think—I don't know, I just—can we please drop this? All I want to do is get some coffee and hang out with my boyfriend at his house. Can we please just do that?"

Troy turned his head from his boyfriend and back to the road. "I'll drop it now, Ryan," he said. "But I'm not going to drop it forever. Eventually, we'll have to talk about it and you'll have to explain to me exactly why you don't want to go. And I know it's not because you're not ready. I'm not stupid."

"What if I just don't want to go to the dance, Troy?" Ryan asked.

"And what if I do?" Troy countered. "This has absolutely nothing to do with not wanting to go to the dance and everything to do with who you don't want to go with. I don't want to go to the dance with anyone else, but I do want to go. And I want you to go. And I don't want you to go with anyone else but me. I just don't know why you would want to go with anyone else but me."

"It's not that I don't want to, it's just—Argh!" Ryan yelled in frustration.

"What is it, Ry?" Troy asked. "You'd rather go with someone else? Maybe Austin? You'd rather go with him, wouldn't you?"

"Don't be stupid, Troy," Ryan said, not really understanding where that comment had even come from. "Of course I don't want to go with him." They both remained silent for several moments. Eventually, Ryan pulled into the parking lot of a coffee shop that was close to Troy's house.

"I just don't get it, Ry," Troy said one last time.

Ryan just sighed and pressed a button on the side of his door before placing his order at the drive-thru coffee shop. Eventually, and apparently sometime soon, he would have to actually talk to Troy about his real reasons.

•••HSM•••

It was weird walking into the gym for a basketball game and not seeing it packed with almost every member of the student body. But then again, this was only the fall league, and since it didn't count for anything in terms of district titles or championships, it didn't seem to matter to anyone. Unless, of course, you happened to be dating someone on the basketball team. And that is exactly what Ryan was doing. He felt a little awkward at first, but then remembered that he had been to many basketball games before he'd started seeing Troy. Usually, he went because his sister had cajoled him into it, but that didn't matter. He was here to see Troy and that was all that really mattered.

He continued walking into the gym toward the bleachers when he heard someone calling his name. He looked in the direction of the voice and saw Gabriella and Taylor sitting up near the top of the stands. He smiled and headed in their direction, readjusting the bag on his shoulder to make sure it wouldn't slip as he climbed the steps. Once he reached his friends, he tossed his bag on the ground and sat next to Gabriella.

"I didn't know you were coming to the game today, Ryan," she said, flashing one of her warm smiles in his direction. "You should have said something; we would have waited for you before coming here."

"It's okay," he replied. "I didn't know if I was going to come or not until just a few minutes ago." It didn't matter that it was a lie. Ryan had known he was coming to the game for as long as he had known about the game. It was just easier to lie about it than to explain that he'd had it marked in red on his calendar.

"Well, it should be fun anyway," she said before rummaging around in her bag. She pulled out a water bottle and took a quick swig before offering some to Ryan. "You want a drink?"

"No thanks," he said.

The three friends lapsed into a comfortable silence as they waited for the game to begin. After several minutes, they saw Kelsi and Sharpay walk through the large doors into the gym. It appeared as though the loud blonde was berating her diminutive colleague for something; Kelsi seemed to be taking it all in stride. Ryan smirked to himself. He had to give his friend credit; for the amount of crap she put up with from his sister, she probably could have been classified as a saint.

He could pinpoint the exact moment she noticed them sitting in the bleachers because the vacant look from her face lifted and she beamed a bright smile at her friends. The two of them made their way up to the rest of their friends before sitting down on the row of bleachers in front of them.

"We're at the game, now," Sharpay said to Kelsi, "so, I won't talk about work anymore, but don't think you're off the hook just yet."

Ryan snorted. He loved how his sister referred to the drama club as work. If she took herself any more seriously, she'd be as crazy as Mrs. Darbus herself. He usually would have let Sharpay go on for a while longer because it then gave he and Kelsi something to laugh about later, but he didn't feel as though the rest of his friends would have appreciated that. "Sharpay," he said, trying to switch his sister's focus, "what are you doing here?"

That must have done it. Sharpay's blonde main swished to the side as she snapped her head in the direction of her brother. "I'm here because of Zeke, obviously," she said in her holier than thou tone. "I mean, why else would I come to this place? It smells like sweat socks."

"And apparently not even the smell of sweaty socks can keep us girls away from our boyfriends, " Taylor said, eliciting giggles from the others. Just then, the doors to the locker room opened and the East High Wildcats ran out onto the court and began their warm-up drills.

The four girls on the bleachers cheered for their boyfriends, and Ryan clapped, not wanting to seem too enthusiastic. He saw as Troy looked up at them and gave him a face-splitting smile. Color rose to Ryan's cheeks and he looked away.

Soon enough the game was underway and in-between plays, when they were actually paying attention, the group of friends chatted amiably among themselves. "Don't you think it's weird that we're all dating basketball players?" Kelsi asked, turning around to look at her friends. "Well, I mean, everyone except you, Ry."

Ryan laughed to himself. If only she knew the truth of what she had originally said.

"I'm so glad you and Jason finally got together," Taylor said to Kelsi. "Watching the two of you dance around each other was beginning to get a little bit sick, in a sweet way, that is."

"Yeah," Gabriella agreed. "I mean, it was all too cute, you know? I don't think any of the guys on the team had ever seen Jason act like anything more than a bump on a log before he took notice of you."

Kelsi blushed, but wasn't about to let the torment end with her. "Oh yeah?" she questioned. "And what about you and Eric?" she asked Gabriella. "Once he got over the fact that Troy wasn't going to be mad at him for liking you, he almost made me go to the dentist with how sweet he was acting to you."

Taylor cracked up and Gabriella blushed. It was true, though. Eric had been incredibly sweet when he started to pursue Gabriella. Ryan had been worried that Troy would be jealous and that he would reconsider being with him when that had all started, but Troy had reassured him that he had nothing to worry about. It didn't completely put Ryan at ease, but it did go a long way to keeping his fears from consuming him.

He let his attention drift back to the game for a while. He didn't how focused he had been on the court until he felt someone sit down next to him. The flash of blond alerted him as to who had brought him out of his reverie before the voice next to him even registered.

"Fancy seeing all of you here, " Austin said, scooting as close as possible to Ryan. "I never took you as the team sports kind of guy, Ry. Although," he continued, glancing down at the court and all of the sweaty young guys who were down there, "I'm beginning to think that it's not so much the game as it is the players that has you interested."

Ryan rolled his eyes and ignored the innuendo. "I just came here to hang out with my friends," he said, ignoring the hurt look that flashed across Austin's face.

Down on the court, Troy was paying more attention to what was going on in the stands than he was to what was going on around him. He had watched as Austin entered the gym and followed his movements as he approached his boyfriend. He knew that Ryan said to pay no mind to it, but he couldn't help it. Every time he saw the other blond approach Ryan he couldn't help his blood pressure from rising. All he wanted was for Austin to leave them alone, but it seemed that every chance he got, he was hanging all over Ryan.

And now he was beginning to have adverse affects on Troy's game if the yells from both his teammates and the coaches meant anything. He shook his head and ran down to the other side of the court to where his team was already setting up some kind of play.

He ran to the bottom of the key and boxed someone out before pivoting, his arms flailing, signaling for someone to throw him the ball. He got the ball in his hands just as he noticed a quick movement over by where his boyfriend was sitting. His attention had been focused on them for just a split second, but that was apparently enough to allow players on the other team to swarm around him and prevent him from making the shot he had planned.

After a few moments of frantically keeping the ball away from the other players, he was able to pass it to one of his own. His dad was yelling from the other side of the court to get his head back in the game. The only thing his dad didn't realize was that playing a game was hard to do when your boyfriend was being hit on by his ex.

Eventually, Troy just shook his head and did what he could to help his team without loosing them the game. He tried really hard to get Austin and Ryan out of his head, but it was of no use. It was pure luck that the team won the game that evening.

•••HSM•••

After the game, everyone had gone over to Chad's house for a traditional after-game party. Since it wasn't the traditional season, the party wasn't as big as normal, but it was still a nice way to unwind after a game, even though they had just barely eeked out a win.

Troy had been hanging around with all of his friends, but begged off for a moment. He needed to get away from everyone and think by himself. He couldn't keep let everything with Austin and Ryan keep getting to him like that. He needed to be able to function around everyone without wanting to rip off any guy's head who approached his boyfriend. He never had that problem with Gabriella, so why was it such a big deal now? Of course, if it had been a problem with Gabriella, he most likely wouldn't have broken up with her. And then he wouldn't even have this problem.

He walked into a room adjacent to the kitchen where people had kept from going. And it was no surprise, either. It's not like the laundry room was on the top of people's places to party list. He stood opposite the washer and dryer, leaning against the counter near a stack of folded clothing. His thoughts were consuming him. He wanted to be out in the living room having fun with his friends and being near his boyfriend. He wanted to not think about everything that was bugging him and just have a good time.

He was jerked out of his circular thoughts by a hand on his shoulder. "Hey," Ryan said as he came up to his boyfriend's side. "I lost track of you for a moment out there and then I couldn't find you. I didn't think you'd be in here brooding, though."

Troy heaved a sigh and turned away from the blond. "I just can't believe I almost lost the game for us tonight," he said.

"Oh, Troy," Ryan said, thinking his boyfriend's frustration was out of place. "You did not almost lose the game for your team. You can't expect to win every time, and when you lose, it's not going to be your fault."

"You don't get it, do you?" Troy asked, pulling his shoulder away from Ryan, causing a hurt look to flit across his face. "It was my fault. I couldn't keep my head in the game because I couldn't keep my eyes off of you and that jack ass of an ex-boyfriend who is always following you around."

"You don't have to worry about that," Ryan said, feeling like they were just going to slip back into another argument that wasn't worth rehashing. "How many times have I told you—"

"It has nothing to do with whether I trust you or not," Troy said, cutting off his boyfriend, "and everything to do with the fact that I don't trust him, or any other guy for that matter. And how can you blame me? They don't know we're together. No one does. And whenever I get angry, it just looks like I'm being a total douche bag."

Ryan just stood there silently for a moment, not really knowing how to respond to Troy's outburst. He hadn't realized he had been the cause of Troy's distraction. When Austin came up, he had just tuned him out and didn't understand why Troy just couldn't do the same.

"Troy, I don't—" Ryan started, but he was cut off yet again.

"Look, Ry," Troy said. "All I want is for you to be my date to the homecoming dance. I don't care who knows and I don't care what happens, because it can't possibly be worse that losing my game over something that you say doesn't mean anything."

"And you think that going to the dance together is going to solve it all?" Ryan asked, not really following Troy's line of thinking. "I just think it will end up causing more problems than helping anything."

"And that's where you and I differ," Troy said, running his hand through his hair and walking away from where Ryan stood. "I'm tired of this, Ryan. I want people to know about us. I want people to know that the reason I'm so happy is because of you. I want people to know that you're taken, and I want people to know that there's no one I'd rather be with at any dance or anything than you."

"And this all just came to you during the basketball game?" Ryan asked.

Troy just shook his head and smiled a mirthless smile. "You have no idea how hard it is to see you around other guys who are interested in you and not be able to say anything about it," he said, trying to get Ryan to see things the way he did.

"Of course I do, Troy," he replied. "Only with you, I have to worry about every person. It's not just guys, it's girls, too. I never know if you're just going to realize that one day you'd rather be with someone else, and trust me, you have a whole school full of people who would bend over backwards to be with you."

Troy balled a fist and slammed it into the counter, taking his boyfriend off guard. The brunet, leaned over the counter for a second and then stood up straight, turning to face Ryan. "I've just never had to have a relationship like this, and I don't like it. I don't like it at all," he said.

"What are you saying?" Ryan asked, thinking the worst about what had Troy just said. Was it possible that he pushed him too far and now he wanted to call everything off?

Picking up on his boyfriend's nervousness, Troy took a breath to help him calm down, then he moved closer to the blond. "It's not what you think," Troy said, trying to relieve some of the anxiousness that had fallen between them. "I just want everyone to know. And I don't care what they all think. At all. Ever. Can't you please just believe me when I say that I care enough about you and our relationship to let everyone know about it?"

Ryan just stood there and listened to Troy's impassioned speech. All he'd ever wanted to do was go on a date with the brunet that everyone would know about and then be jealous of. And here he was, offering everything to him. So, why was he being an absolute nut and turning it down every time his boyfriend offered?

"I'll go to the dance with you," Ryan said before he could rethink everything and take it back.

Troy just stared at him, slack-jawed, for a moment before his slack face split into a huge grin and he threw his arms around the slighter blond. "Really?" he asked, his face buried in the crook of Ryan's neck. "You're not just saying this to shut me up, are you?"

Ryan just shook his head, too surprised by Troy's display of affection to actually say anything.

"And when people ask us who we're going with, we'll tell them, won't we?" Troy asked, making sure that Ryan was really on board and not just saying something to please him.

"We will," Ryan said quietly, looking into Troy's soulful blue eyes, knowing that he had just agreed to come out about their relationship to the whole school. He only hoped it wouldn't be a bad decision in the long run.

"Good," Troy said, before leaning down and placing a sweet kiss on his boyfriend's lips. He then pulled away, big smile still on his face. "Now, let's get back out to the party and have a good time." He grabbed a hold of his boyfriend's hand and pulled him out of the laundry room back to where all of their friends were still socializing.

•••HSM•••

The party was a typical one. There was loud music, drinks and dancing. There weren't too many people there, but there was a nice little crowd. After Troy and Ryan left the laundry room, they walked back out to the small group of friends and broke apart, Troy heading over to talk with a few of his teammates, while Ryan headed over to where Chad was talking with some other people.

"Yo, Ry!" Chad yelled above the music. "Where have you been? I thought you took off."

"No, I was just … well, I was just working something out," Ryan said, not really lying, but not letting on to what he had actually been doing. "Besides, who would leave a party like this so early?"

"You're telling me, man," Chad said, laughing lightly and clapping Ryan on the back.

Ryan stood around talking with people as the struck up conversation, and eventually, the topic changed to what was on everyone's mind: the dance.

"Dude, do you even know what you're doing for the dance yet," one of the guys standing around asked Chad. "Did Taylor turn you down yet?"

Chad laughed, but the went straight-faced and punched the guy in the arm. "No, we're going," he said. "But I don't really know what we're doing yet. I think she wants to go some place fancy with a group of people, but I haven't talked to anyone else about it. What about you?"

"Oh dude," the guy said, "I asked Samantha the other day but she hasn't gotten back to me about it yet."

A chorus of groans could be heard from all the guys standing within earshot. "You know that's just a way for her to say no without actually saying anything, don't you?" another guy asked, shoving the other.

"It is not, dude," he replied, not believing his friend. "She said she has to talk it over with her parents first."

And then the only thing heard was laughter as all of his friends saw what he couldn't. "Dude," Chad said to his friend. "He's right. She's totally not into you. You need to find someone else."

All throughout the conversation, Ryan had been conspicuously quiet. And Chad had noticed. "What about you, Ry?" he questioned. "Got a hot date to bring to the dance? You could totally come in the group with me and Taylor."

Ryan smiled at his friend, but was hesitant to answer at first. He knew he told Troy he would tell people about it, but it was something completely different when he was actually faced with doing it. Would they even believe him if he said anything? So he turned away from Chad, who was still looking at him expectantly, to find Troy on the other side of the room. As soon as his gaze steadied on his boyfriend, Troy looked up and they made eye contact. It was then that Ryan knew he had to be honest about it.

So, he turned back to Chad, took a deep breath and replied. "Yeah, I have a date. You might know him actually; it's Troy."

**A/N: Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry for not updating this sooner but my life has just been a hot mess lately. I don't think I've ever had so much work to do at one time, but here I am. And here's an update. I hope it was worth the wait. It took me a little bit to get back in the writing groove, but I think I pulled it off.**

**I'm actually really pleased with how this chapter turned out. I didn't know how it was going to go at first, but regardless, I'm pleased with the end product. I just wanted to give a special shout out to bobrabbit100 for pestering (in a good way, mind you) me enough to get me to write this. **

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoy. I promise not to make you all wait so long for the next chapter. Please review!**


	18. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER 17**

Troy. He was an enigma to most, and with good reason. He was a jock, but he liked to be in musicals. He was popular, but he never seemed to let it go to his head. He was a genuine nice guy, and apparently, if he'd told Chad the truth, he was interested in Ryan Evans. And not just interested like when someone has a passing interest in celebrity gossip, but _interested_.

Chad could generally be accused of being someone who didn't pay too much intention to what went on around him, but that accusation could not extend to the attention he paid to his best friends. After Troy told him about his crush on Ryan, he paid extra close attention to the two of them. It seemed as though Ryan tried to stay away for a while after the whole ordeal of Troy kissing then running out, but eventually they worked things out. As far as Chad could tell, they were still really good friends, but he hadn't been able to see any other changes to their relationship.

They still hung out all the time, in school, out of school. Hell, Chad thought they probably had sleepovers on the weekend, but didn't tell anyone about it. But the fact was that he assumed they still hadn't made any progress in their

When Troy started loosing track of the game earlier that evening, Chad had no doubt where his attention was focused. And a quick glance up in the bleachers confirmed his thoughts. Ryan was sitting up there, and from what he could tell, Austin was just being his normal annoying self. He could tell why Troy was distracted.

And that's when he decided that in order to preserve his friend's sanity and his team's record, he was going to get Troy and Ryan together. He knew that Troy had yet to find a date to the homecoming dance, and he was pretty sure that Ryan hadn't found one yet. And he couldn't think of a better way to get them together. He was a closet fan of the clichéd romance.

So, when Ryan made his way over to him and a group of friends at the party and the conversation turned to the dance, Chad thought he had the perfect opening to figure out if Ryan had found someone to go with. When Ryan said he did, Chad's heart dropped. There went his plans. His heart then made a trip from his stomach to the floor when he heard the next words that came out of Ryan's mouth.

"Yeah, I have a date," Ryan said. "You might know him actually; it's Troy."

"What?" Chad asked. He hadn't meant it to come out as forceful as it did, and judging by the look on Ryan's face, he could tell that he'd startled the small blond. "No, no," he said, holding his hands out to Ryan like an adult would to a kid who was about to start crying. "Don't look like that. I didn't mean to sound angry. I'm not. I'm not. I just, I'm really glad you told me that."

"You mean you're not upset?" Ryan asked, seeming incredibly surprised. No matter how close the two had become after their experience over the summer, Ryan was still secretly the most apprehensive of Chad's reaction to his and Troy's relationship. Chad had a hot temper, and had even tried to break up Troy and Gabriella, so it seemed logical that he wouldn't be too receptive to his relationship with the brunet.

In response to Ryan's question, Chad's face broke out in a grin. "Hell no, I'm not upset," he said, clapping the blond on the back. "I'm really glad that the two of you finally figured out this stuff and decided to act on it."

Ryan smiled back at the basketball player. He then remembered that he was surrounded by other people and his smile faltered a bit, but he turned to face everyone else. The guys who had been animatedly discussing the dance just a moment ago were now all standing slack-jawed staring at he and Chad. Just then, Chad leaned in and spoke, "Hey, I'm going to talk to Troy." Ryan turned to look at his friend with a frightened look on his face, but Chad was already on his way over to his boyfriend.

Ryan just turned back to the group of people standing around, still looking at him dumbstruck. "So," he began …

Troy was sitting on the couch, half listening to a conversation going on next to him, half listening to the music playing in the room when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Chad leaning over toward him. "Hey," his friend said loudly enough so that he could be heard over the music. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Troy nodded and got off the couch, following his friend into another part of the house that was less affected by the music. "Hey, man," Troy said once he was sure he could be heard. "Great party."

"You're telling me," the curly-haired teen replied, still not letting on to his actual reason for wanting to talk to his friend. "So, how're things?"

Troy gave his friend a look, but answered the question anyway. "Things are just fine," he said. "How are things with you?"

"Well," Chad started, "tonight at the game I was coming up with a way to get you and Ryan together, because, dude, as far as I knew nothing had changed since you came and talked to me about your little crushy-crush. But then, when I was talking to Ryan just a few minutes ago, he told me that you two are going to the homecoming dance together. When were you going to fill me in, dude?"

For a moment, Troy just stood there, not really knowing what to say. Then he broke out in a grin. Ryan told someone. He had really told someone. Troy had been a bit skeptical about whether or not Ryan would actually do what he said he was going to when they agreed to go to the dance, but he had in fact told Chad that they were going. And the only thing Troy could do at the moment was smile. A ridiculously goofy smile.

"Earth to Troy," Chad said after a moment of waving his hand in front of his friend's face. "You there?"

"What?" Troy asked, shaking his head slightly and looking at his friend, the stupid smile still plastered on his face. "He actually told you? I didn't think he would. We've been arguing about this forever and I just—"

"Wait a minute," Chad said, cutting his friend off. "What do you mean you've been arguing about this forever?"

"Well, Ryan's just been really nervous about telling anyone about us, and I've been trying to tell him that there wasn't anything to worry about for a few weeks now, and I just got him to agree to go with me to the dance tonight. I was just surprised that he actually told you."

Chad stared at his friend for a moment longer. "You mean, you've been dating each other? For how long, man? Why didn't you tell me?"

Troy had the grace to look contrite at his friend's questions. He blushed a bit before saying, "We've been dating for about two months now," he said. Chad's mouth fell open at the confession. "I wanted to tell you, man. I really did, but Ryan was just so nervous about how everyone would react and I couldn't tell him I would say anything and then tell you."

"I just can't believe you've been dating for such a long time and I didn't realize it," Chad said. "I mean, you're hardly subtle about anything; I can't believe you got this past absolutely everyone."

Troy frowned at his friend. He could too keep a secret if he needed to, and his relationship with Ryan was the perfect example. But that was neither here nor there. The fact was that Ryan had started telling people about their relationship, and Troy wanted nothing more than to find his boyfriend and start kissing him senseless. He didn't care if there was a whole crowd of people out there. He couldn't believe he was actually having this conversation with his friend. A small voice in the back of his head he was acting similarly to how he used to be on Christmas morning. Only this was better.

"So," Chad started, bringing Troy out of his thoughts, "does this mean you're gay?"

That question took him a bit off guard. Was he gay? Was he bi? It might have sounded funny if someone was listening to his internal dialogue, but it wasn't actually something he had ever really put a lot of thought to. He just knew he really liked Ryan, and once he had straightened all of his feelings out, he'd just gone for it and gotten what he wanted. So, was he gay?

"I don't know," he said, then a small smirk on his lips, he leaned in to his friend and stated. "I think I'm just Ryansexual."

•••HSM•••

The next morning, Ryan picked Troy up from his house as had become the custom. They chatted a little bit, but not about anything noteworthy. They had left the party the night before right after Troy finished talking with Chad. He practically dragged his blond boyfriend out of the house and into his car where he wasted absolutely no time in showering him with kisses.

They hadn't talked much about the ramifications that announcement would have for them at school, but now that was all Ryan could think about. It had hit him as soon as he woke up, and he hadn't been able to get it out of his head since.

Ryan parked his car and took a deep breath before getting out. He walked around the back and met Troy who held out his hand for the blond to take. Ryan looked at it for a moment and then grasped it tightly, taking the reassurance his boyfriend was offering. And the two walked through the doors into the main hallway of East High.

As they walked past all of the people standing around their lockers, all conversation seemed to stop. People were looking at them, and some of the younger students pointed them out to their friends. Troy could tell that Ryan was getting a little anxious and so pulled him closer as they made their way to where their friends were standing.

They approached their group of friends hesitantly. They both knew that Chad had taken it well the night before, but they hadn't stuck around long enough afterward to get reactions from anyone else. And now Troy was beginning to wonder if any of it had been a good idea or not. He could almost feel Ryan trying to get as close as possible to him, hoping to ward off any unwanted reactions. None of their friends had noticed them approaching, but when as they got within earshot, Chad turned his head and locked eyes with them both.

The second after they had been noticed seemed to last an eternity, and in that eternity, any number of possible scenarios ran through Troy's head and he seriously contemplated grabbing Ryan, throwing him over his shoulder and making a run for it back out into the parking lot.

His contemplation of worst-case scenarios, however, ended when Chad smiled at the two and waved them closer. It was then that everyone else in their close circle of friends turned to see the newly outed couple. Gabriella, seeing the two of them holding hands let out a high-pitched squeal and jumped, clapping her hands, before running over to the two of them. She brought Ryan into a bone-crushing hug while leaning in to whisper in his ear, "I knew you had been seeing someone knew, and now I know why you didn't say anything," she then pulled back to look him in the eye. "You should have known you could tell me anything." She then looked over at Troy before looking back at the blond. "Anything."

Ryan blushed and ducked his head, trying to avoid her eye contact. "I know," he muttered, but then looked back up and said more clearly. "But you have to admit, telling you the person I'm seeing is the person you used to be seeing is a little weird," he finished, before looking over at Troy who was just grinning at the two of them and then looking back to the small brunette girl. "Really weird."

"I guess I can give you that much," Gabriella said before punching Ryan playfully in the arm. "I'm glad you're happy."

Ryan smiled and leaned back in to give her another hug. "I was so worried you would be upset," he said quietly, hoping that Troy wasn't paying attention. "I didn't know how to tell you and I just didn't want to hurt you or make you think I didn't value our friendship."

"Hey, hey," Gabrialla said, stopping Ryan before he could continue any more. "Troy and I had our shot, and it didn't work out. He's a great friend, but I'm not interested in him, and I know he's not interested in me. Besides, I can tell he makes you happy."

Ryan smiled and turned to look at his boyfriend, who was still just staring at the two of them. "He does," he said. And then reached over to squeeze Troy's hand.

"Aww man," Chad said, noticing the moment happening right in front of him. "Do you have to do that in public?" The sting of his words was softened by the large smile still on his face. That, however, didn't stop Taylor from smacking him in the arm.

"Leave them alone," she said. "They already have to deal with the weird looks and the talking in the hallway, they don't need any of it from you. Even if it was only a joke." She added the last part when she saw that her boyfriend was trying to refute her words. But that was just enough to get Ryan to start worrying again.

"You don't think anyone is mad about it, do you?" he asked. He really hadn't thought about other people's reactions to his sexual orientation before, but when you added the most popular guy in school into the mix, anything was possible.

"I haven't heard anything," Taylor said quickly. "But I think that even if some people were mad, they wouldn't do anything about it because of Troy and his dad."

Ryan had to admit, Taylor had some sound logic. He was just beginning to relax in conversation with his friends, telling them the story of how he and Troy had finally gotten together, with Chad adding in his own colorful commentary whenever he could, when something happened that just threw Taylor's logic right out of the window.

"Ryan Evans!" a familiar voice yelled from down the hallway. "I need to speak with you!"

Ryan turned his head just in time to see a very angry looking Austin storm down the hallway toward he and Troy. When he reached the group of friends, he stopped directly in front of the couple and stared daggers at Troy. "Is this the reason you broke up with me?" he asked, eyes never leaving the brunet's, who also never wavered from the seeming challenge. "Did you start seeing him before you ended things with me or not?"

"What are you talking about?" Ryan asked. He knew Austin wouldn't react well to their news regardless of when they broke it to everyone, but this was just a little bit ridiculous. "We've been broken up since the middle of summer. And I broke up with you because I knew I couldn't return your feelings, no matter how hard I tried. It had nothing to do with Troy."

Austin laughed, but there was no sign of humor in his voice. "Right," he said, finally turning his gaze to the slighter blond. "You expect me to believe that? You think I didn't see you pining after him while we were still together? You tried to spend every spare moment you had with him instead of me. How could you ever expect to feel the same way about me if you never even tried?"

Ryan tried to rebut, but Troy beat him to the punch. "Look, man, " he said. "Ryan would never try to hurt you. He's too good a person. And he can't help who he likes, so why don't you just relax and be happy for someone who is supposed to be your friend."

Austin scowled at Troy and turned back to Ryan. "He's just going to hurt you," he said. "Don't think for a minute that he really knows what it's like to date another guy. He's just another jock, and as soon as something gets in the way of him being just another one of the jocks he'll drop you like a bad habit." He gave Troy and everyone else in the group one last scathing look before turning on his heal and storming away.

"Don't pay attention to him, Ry," Chad said, noticing the shocked look on the blond's face. "Troy wouldn't do that. He likes you too much to do anything like that. I know."

He said it with such conviction that it was hard to ignore, but Austin had done a spectacular job and pointing out exactly what Ryan had been worried about when he and Troy had first gotten together. He didn't want to let Austin get to him. He knew that he was probably just lashing out because Ryan wasn't just coming back to him like he had assumed he would. But he couldn't help but let that worry settle itself in the back of his head.

He turned to his boyfriend and, trying to put on an unaffected front, tugged on Troy's hand and said, "Come on, let's get going to class."

Troy could tell that something was off and shot his friends a look, hoping that they had picked up on something he had missed, but all he got was a shrug from Chad. So, he gripped Ryan's hand and followed him down the hallway, hoping that Ryan would let him know what was going on.

•••HSM•••

Troy spent most of the day thinking about what his life was going to be like now that his relationship with Ryan was out in the open. He would rather have just been spending that time with his boyfriend, but after the confrontation in the morning, Ryan just seemed to retreat within himself. He wasn't very responsive to anyone around him, never initiating conversation, and only responding in monosyllabic words and grunts.

He knew something was bothering his boyfriend and he knew it had something to do with what Austin had said to him earlier that morning, but without Ryan opening up to him about it, Troy was left to really guess what he could do to get his boyfriend to be happy again.

The more he thought about it, the more it seemed to make sense that Ryan was focusing on the last part of Austin's little tirade—that Troy would eventually leave him because he couldn't handle the pressure of being in a same sex relationship. He had been sitting in the cafeteria, eating lunch and _not_ talking to his boyfriend when the idea came to him. He'd have Ryan come over for a family dinner. It would give him some time alone with his boyfriend and would also show him that he was doing everything he could to show Ryan that he was not going anywhere.

He used his free period after lunch to go talk to his dad about inviting Ryan for dinner. It hadn't taken much convincing and soon Mr. Bolton was making a call to his wife letting her know that they would be expecting a guest for dinner. Now, all Troy had to do was get Ryan to come over for dinner. He waited by Ryan's locker after the last period of the day was finished, a small spiral of worry working it's way through his gut. He didn't know how Ryan was going to react to this suggestion given his attitude throughout the day. He hoped it would go over well, but he was also embracing for the worst.

He waited patiently until he saw the hat-covered blond head making its way to his locker. He smiled when Ryan looked up and made eye contact, continuing his way toward the locker and his boyfriend. "Hey," Troy said as Ryan began to spin the combination lock on his locker. When Ryan didn't respond immediately, the small spiral of fear began to grow and gnaw at Troy's insides. "How was the rest of your day?" he asked, hoping to prompt his boyfriend into discussion.

Ryan reached into his locker and grabbed a few books, slipping them in his bag before looking at his boyfriend. "It's been pretty long," he said. "People keep talking as I walk past them; I've even had some people ask me how I managed to get you to dump Gabriella for me."

That last part had Troy shaking his head. He just didn't get why other people felt that they had any right to his private life. And it wasn't as if Ryan had been the cause of his breaking up with Gabriella; it actually had nothing to do it. He could see why Ryan was upset, he just wished that his boyfriend was able let things be said without letting them affect him so much. The only thing he could do was be there for him and show him that he would be there no matter what.

"They're jerks, Ry," he said, placing his hand on the blond's shoulder. "Don't pay attention to them or anything they have to say. Just trust in us, okay?"

Ryan took a step closer to his boyfriend and rested his head on Troy's shoulder. "It's just so hard sometimes," he muttered. "And the funny thing is that it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the fact that you're dating another guy, but more with the fact that you're dating me."

Troy just wrapped his arms around Ryan's waist and held him tightly, offering any comfort he could. He didn't really know how to respond to his boyfriend. He hadn't ever had any kind of experience with this before. He knew he wanted to spend as much time as possible with Ryan so that he could show his boyfriend just how little other people's opinions mattered

"Hey," he said, pulling slightly away from his boyfriend. "Do you want to come over to my place for dinner tonight?"

"I don't know, Troy," he said. "Today has been a really long time and I don't know if I want to worry about how your parents are going to react to everything, too."

"It's okay," Troy replied, running his hand up and down Ryan's back in a soothing pattern. "You know my mom loves you and my dad is fine with everything. Besides, I already talked it over with my parents and they'd love to have you over."

Ryan rolled his eyes, but smiled at the brunet. "So, I guess I'm the only one holding this up, huh?" he asked. Troy just smiled and nodded. "Well, then," he started, "I guess I can't say no."

"Great," Troy said, happy that his boyfriend had accepted the offer. "We can just go over now and hang out or work on some stuff and then we'll have dinner later."

Ryan pulled away from Troy with a look of shock on his face. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "I can't just go over there looking like this, not for dinner with your parents. I have to go home and shower and change. I can't believe you thought I would just go over there looking like this. What would your parents think of me? That would just be rude."

Troy laughed. He couldn't believe that Ryan was making such a big deal out of this. It was kind of cute how he wanted to impress his parents, but it was also kind of silly. "Babe," Troy started. "How many times have you been to my house? Heck, how many times have you had dinner with us? This is no big deal. I just want to spend some time with you."

"I know, I know," Ryan said. "But this is the first time that I'll have had dinner at you house with your parents since we've become a couple and I don't want them to think that, I don't know, I just—"

"You don't have to worry about anything," Troy said. "My mom loves you. Just come over. Besides," he added, leaning in and lowering his voice, "we have the house to ourselves until my dad gets home later."

Ryan blushed and buried his face in Troy's shoulder, but that didn't stop Troy from hearing the muttered "okay." He just smiled and drug Ryan out of the school by his hand. The rest of the day was looking much better than it did earlier.

•••HSM•••

Troy led Ryan into his room after they had finished dinner with his parents. He walked in and flopped himself on his bed, not waiting for his boyfriend to follow. The night had gone well in terms of his showing Ryan how willing he was to fully integrate him into his life, but it had gotten a bit embarrassing.

"That was great, Troy," Ryan said, sitting down next on the bed next to his boyfriend. "Your mom is so great, and I don't think I've ever talked to you dad so much before in my life."

"I can't believe they brought out the photo albums," Troy said, throwing his arm over his eyes. He didn't think he'd ever been so embarrassed in his entire life. His parent's hadn't even done that when he was dating Gabriella. And now, all of his embarrassing childhood photos had been dragged out over the dinner table.

"Oh, come on," Ryan cajoled, laying down to rest his head on Troy's chest. "They were cute. And who knew you loved being naked so much when you were a toddler? I think they had more pictures of you running around bare-assed than they did with you in some clothes."

Troy groaned, causing his boyfriend to giggle even more. It was good to have Ryan so happy, but he wished it could have come about through less embarrassing means. The two of them lay on the bed in silence for a several minutes, just soaking up the comfort offered by the other in the privacy of Troy's room. Troy felt his eyes begin to get heavy just before Ryan spoke up again. "Thanks for inviting me over here tonight," he said. "I'm glad we got the chance to just be with each other after what all happened at school today."

Troy wrapped his arm around his boyfriend. "I know," he said. "I just want you to know that regardless of what everyone says, I'll be here. I'll be here for you."

Ryan didn't respond to any of what Troy was saying, knowing that Troy wasn't necessarily looking for a response. He simply placed a kiss over his boyfriend's cloth covered chest. He then felt Troy nudging him upwards and so shifted his body so that the two of them were looking straight at each other.

Troy then closed the gap and pressed his lips softly to his boyfriend's. The two spend the next few minutes making out on Troy's bed, trying to stay quiet, not wanting to alert Troy's parents to what they were up to. Knowing his mom, Troy thought she would probably bust through the door with a camera, ready to add new pictures to his photo album.

When he told his boyfriend, the kissing immediately stopped in favor of Ryan's fit of giggles. "I would love to be a part of your photo album," he said after he had calmed down. "But we'll have to make sure your clothes are on."

Troy shook his head and pulled Ryan on top of his body. "You mean you don't want to see me without my clothes on?" he asked, watching as Ryan's face turned beet red. "You can't fool me, babe," he continued. "I know you want nothing more than to see what I'm hiding under these."

Ryan just buried his face in the crook of Troy's shoulder and muttered, "So what if I do?"

Troy groaned and then nudged Ryan so that he had access to the blond's lips. "One of these days," he said between kissed. "I'm going to make good on that."

Ryan just smiled and kissed Troy again before laying his head back down on his boyfriend's chest. "Some day," he said quietly.

**A/N: Another day, another chapter. I feel like I'm on a roll now and I don't want to slow down until this story is finished. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. What do you think about all of their friend's interactions? What about Austin's? **

**The next chapter is going to be the homecoming dance! So, I hope to have that out sometime next week.**

**Even though this story is coming to a close, there are still a few bumps along the way. So don't be lulled into a false sense of security. I'll see you all again in the next chapter. Please review!**


	19. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER 18**

Homecoming at East High was a formal affair. In lieu of a winter formal, the school administrators opted to have a homecoming dance that happened late during the first semester. Because of this, the homecoming dance was the event of the season. Limos were rented; tuxes were fitted; corsages and boutonnieres were purchased. The Evans twins spent the day at their home prepping for the big event, Sharpay getting her hair done while Ryan got a pedicure and a facial.

Their dates were meeting them at their house before they met up with a larger group of friends later, and the two blondes were taking the time to go over their plans for the evening.

After the first few days of walking around school while being the center of attention and gossip, Ryan had acclimated to his new status as half of the second-most talked about couple in school. His dinner and time with Troy had gone a long way in helping him get used to everything, but he'd also been able to focus a lot on planning for his and Troy's first formal appearance. The Evans took occasions like this very seriously, and once Ryan's mother had found out, she had insisted in bringing some of the spa workers from Lava Springs to their house the day of the dance in order to help her children get ready.

Troy had wanted to be the typical man in the relationship and pay for everything, but Ryan had insisted on taking everything 50/50, especially since his family already owned a limo and it just seemed silly to have Troy rent one. When Ryan finally let the idea of going to the dance with Troy wrap itself around his brain, he could barely contain his excitement. He'd probably bored Troy to tears while he tried to figure out what colors they would be wearing, but his boyfriend took it all in stride, knowing that it meant a lot to him.

Ryan sighed as he thought of his boyfriend. The two weeks since they had announced their relationship to the rest of the student body had its ups and downs, but Troy had always stuck by his side, even when the stares and muttered conversations had gotten to Ryan and he'd lashed out. And now, if Ryan had anything to say about it, they were going to have the most spectacular night ever.

After his pedicure was complete, Ryan walked into another room that had been taken over by the stylists, wearing only a white undershirt and a pair of boxers. He saw his sister sitting in one of the makeshift styling stations where three people were working on her hair. He took a seat next to her and waited patiently for someone to style his short hair. During a lull in her own hair maintenance, Sharpay noticed her brother. "Nice of you to finally join me here," she said, giving Ryan's appearance a once over.

"Well, I do have considerably less hair than you do, sis," he said. "Besides, I don't make my hair stylists redo mine four times before I'm finally satisfied with what they come up with."

"And that is why you'll never be a professional actor, Ryan," Sharpay said in all seriousness, turning to look straight at her brother rather than peer at him through his reflection in the mirror. "Perfection is difficult and if you're not willing to take the time to pursue it, you're never going to make it in show business."

"Whatever, Sharpay," he said, shaking his head. In actuality, Ryan had been contemplating his future for quite some time. He couldn't help but do that since Troy was re-evaluating his entire career path because of their relationship. And once he started that, he had to ask himself if he really saw himself being on center stage for the rest of his life. Sure, it would be incredibly fun and glamorous, but he thought that maybe he would want something a little more fulfilling. He'd have to seriously start looking at other programs and courses of study as he applied to different colleges and universities, but there was no reason to open that can of worms at this particular moment. So he let Sharpay go off.

"What colors did you and Zeke finally decide on?" Ryan asked, trying to steer the conversation in another direction. "You're not making him wear a pink tux are you?"

"Who do you think I am?" she asked, glaring at her brother. "Of course he's not wearing a pink tux. Pink is my color. He is wearing a pink vest and a pink boutonniere, though."

Ryan just rolled his eyes. Leave it to his sister to emasculate her boyfriend. "Troy is going to wear a blue vest and bow tie," Ryan said, thinking more about how the blue they had picked out accented his boyfriend's beautiful eyes than anything else. "And then I'm going to wear green."

"You're not even matching?" Sharpay asked, seemingly scandalized by that fact. "I don't even know what to think about you anymore. Ever since you started dating Troy you've become a completely different person."

"Give me a break," Ryan said. "Don't you think we'd look just a little bit silly going in and matching? Besides, Troy looks good in blue and I like how this vest pattern looks on me. And, green and blue are complimentary colors, so it's not like we're going to look bad or anything."

Sharpay didn't seem to look convinced, but at that moment her stylists were back, and another came over to work on Ryan's hair. After explaining what he wanted, he let the stylist get to work. He sat in silence for a few minutes, just going with the flow when his sister asked him another question. "What are you and Troy doing after the dance?" she asked.

Actually, that had been something that Ryan hadn't given much thought to. He had been so preoccupied with other things that he had just let Troy go about planning their after-dance activities and hadn't bothered to check in with him. Now that he thought about it, he didn't really know what to expect. He'd never gone to a dance with a big group of friends before. He assumed they would hang out afterwards at someone's house. But he didn't know, and said as much.

"Haven't you talked to Troy about anything?" she asked. "I had to tell Zeke exactly what kind of hotel room I wanted for after the dance. Never leave that kind of thing up to a man or you'll probably get stuck in some place that has an hourly rate."

"You're getting a hotel room?" Ryan asked, somewhat taken aback. He had never really assumed that his sister was all that virginal, but it also wasn't something he really spent a lot of time thinking about. "Do mom and dad know what you're doing? How are you going to explain to them where you are?"

"Of course I didn't tell them," she said, looking at her brother as if he had grown a second head. "They think I'm staying over at Gabriella's house. And what they don't know won't hurt them."

Ryan just sat back in his chair for a moment. This was all a lot of information for him to be taking in at once. Not only because of what that meant his sister would be doing later that night, but also because now he really didn't know what Troy was expecting after the dance. They had mentioned the possibility of having sex, but it had always been in passing and usually was part of their teasing one another. Was Troy expecting that they would be having sex after the dance?

The conversation kind of died after that. Ryan spent most of the time just staring at his reflection in the mirror until his stylist was finished. Then made his way to his bedroom and started dressing. The entire time, though, he felt as if he was on autopilot. After he had finished dressing, he sat on his bed, mulling over all the possibilities the night held for him. All too soon it seemed, the doorbell was ringing and Sharpay was yelling up the stairs for him to come down and meet his date.

That startled Ryan out of his thoughts and he began making his way toward the stairway. He got to the edge of the steps and looked down to where Troy was standing, and in that moment, as corny as it sounds, all of Ryan's nervousness left him. He saw Troy standing at the foot of the stairs, holding a flower. He looked so handsome in his traditional black tux. And Ryan was right, the blue of his vest really did bring out the color in his eyes. In short, he looked stunning. Ryan began making his way down the stairs and as soon as he reached his boyfriend, he was enveloped in a tight embrace.

"You look amazing," Troy whispered into his ear, causing Ryan to blush prettily.

The next 20 minutes were a whirlwind of pictures, flower pinnings and gentle threats by Mr. Evans to both Troy and Zeke to take care of his children and bring them back in one piece. He was only half-joking.

Soon enough, the friends were sitting in their limo, on their way to the restaurant where they would be meeting the rest of their friends. Ryan was pressed up close to his boyfriend on one of the benches, just leaning up against him. Troy had thrown his arm around Ryan's shoulder and was just enjoying being close to him.

"I know you wanted to split everything right down the middle," Troy said after a few minutes, leaning in toward his boyfriends o that their conversation would remain as private as it could while sharing a car with another couple. "But I wanted this to be a surprise."

With that, he pulled out what looked like a white credit card and placed it in Ryan's hand. Ryan looked at it curiously before it dawned on him as to what it was he was holding. His breathing quickened and he felt himself heat up.

"I don't want to pressure you into anything, and I don't want to make any assumptions about what you're ready for, but I just thought it would be nice to spend the entire evening together," he said, nuzzling up to Ryan's face.

Ryan didn't respond immediately, but did take comfort in how Troy had explained it to him. It would be nice to spend the entire night with his boyfriend regardless of what they actually did. And so, he took a deep breath, leaned over and kissed his boyfriend on the cheek. "It sounds perfect," he said.

•••HSM•••

The group hadn't left Sharpay in charge of picking their restaurant because they all didn't want to be left working off this dance for the next two years. And even though Sharpay had complained about it at first, Ryan liked the restaurant the group had ended up choosing. It as a quaint little Italian café, that was just big enough to fit their group of 12.

Troy and Ryan were sitting next to one another, chatting quietly. Chad and Taylor, Gabriella and Eric, Sharpay and Zeke and two other couples (Ryan was pretty sure they were other basketball players) sat around the large table, completing the group.

"What are you going to get?" Troy asked, leaning over his boyfriend's shoulder to see what page of the menu he was looking at.

Ryan smiled and leaned over to bump Troy's chest with his shoulder. Since they had started dating, Troy had developed this penchant for "sharing" Ryan's food with himself. "I think I'm going to get the Tuscan chicken tortellini," Ryan said. "But don't think you're going to have any. This is my dinner and you're getting your own."

"Oh, come on, Ry," Troy said, leaning his head on his boyfriend's shoulder. "I know you love sharing your food with me. And it's so cute when we do it. Especially when we're doing it at an Italian restaurant. It'll be just like in Lady and the Tramp; all we'll need is a bunch of singers to complete the scene."

Ryan couldn't help but laugh at the brunet. Sometimes he was just too cheesy for his own good. But Ryan loved him for it. "Whatever," Ryan said. "If I had known you were just dating me so you could eat my food, I would have considered your offer just a little bit longer."

"But you still would have said yes," Troy said, smirking before leaning in to place a quick kiss on Ryan's cheek.

"Dudes," Chad said, catching a glimpse at their display of affection. "Do you really have to be all lovey-dovey at the dinner table?" His smile lessened the sting of his words, but still caused the couple to blush.

Just then, the waiter was at their table, ready to take orders, distracting everyone from the embarrassed boys. Just as he was about to order, Ryan felt a hand on his thigh. He looked over and saw Troy trying, and failing miserably, to hide a grin. Ryan just shook his head and ordered his dinner without missing a beat. The same could not be said for Troy when he tried to place his order, but jumped half way through when Ryan reached over surreptitiously to pinch his butt.

The two were giggling, and almost missed the comment by one of the basketball players. "I bet they're together because of the sex," he said. "Gay guys love sex."

All of the conversation at the table stopped and Troy and Ryan glared daggers at the basketball player. But Gabriella stepped in. "Troy and Ryan are together because they really like each other," she said. "Just because they're affectionate with one another doesn't mean they're having sex. And if they are, I guess that's more than can be said for you."

The silence around the table was deafening. Gabriella had done a pretty quick job at putting the guy in his place. He was at least contrite enough to blush and look down at his place setting, but he didn't apologize.

The conversation after that was stunted at best. Neither Troy nor Ryan contributed much to anything; they instead focused more on each other, grasping hands underneath the table. The food arriving at the table was a welcome distraction to the awkward group dynamic that had taken over the group.

They began eating, and sooner rather than later, Troy had his plate cleared. Ryan looked around the table and noticed that a majority of the other basketball players had their plates cleaned as well. He just assumed it was a jock thing. His eyes then turned back to a plate where he stabbed a bite of his dinner with his fork and brought it to his mouth. He put the food in his mouth and looked to the side just in time to see Troy's eyes staring at him as he ate. He debated for just a moment whether or not his boyfriend was staring at his mouth because he was fascinated with his lips or whether he was just hungry. He rolled his eyes when he realized there really wasn't a question to it and so he shoved his plate between the two of them.

Troy smiled and reached over to grab a bite of Ryan's dinner. "You owe me," Ryan said quietly, smiling at his boyfriend. "I swear you have a hollow leg or something. I mean, you have to in order to eat as much as you do without gaining any weight."

"I know exactly what you mean," Taylor spoke up from down the table. Ryan turned to look at her and noticed that her plate was in between her and Chad, just like his was between him and Troy. "I think it's a jock thing." She sent Ryan a meaningful look.

Ryan laughed, as did Gabriella, while both Chad and Troy blushed, but continued eating. He knew he liked the basketball girlfriends for some reason. After that, the dining environment seemed to clear up, and everyone enjoyed themselves.

•••HSM•••

When they arrived at the dance, Troy offered his hand to help Ryan out of the limo, which elicited several "aww's" from the girls and made the blond blush. He took the hand nonetheless and held onto it tightly as they walked into the dance hall.

They were greeted by the heavy noise of the music being played by the DJ as well as a table of school faculty who took their tickets. Ryan looked around as they walked from the entryway into the main dance area and had to admit that the dance committee had done a pretty good job at making sure the dance wasn't the hallmark of tackiness for which it was generally known.

"So, what do you want to do first?" Troy asked, directing Ryan's attention away from the dance floor where a large crowd was already busy dancing up a storm and on him. "We can go out and start dancing or we can go get pictures. Or I can get you something to drink if you want."

Ryan laughed. "I'm not thirsty; we just got finished with dinner," he said. "How about we get our pictures taken first before we get all sweaty dancing."

"I don't know about you, Ryan," Sharpay said, coming up behind him, obviously having had heard his conversation with Troy, "but I don't sweat. I'll see you guys out on the dance floor. Come on, Zeke." And with that, the two of them left the group to start dancing. Sharpay apparently wanted to get out in the spotlight as soon as possible.

Ryan just rolled his eyes and looked over at his boyfriend. Who just smiled indulgently at him. "It looks like the line is pretty short right now," he said, nodding his head over in the direction of where the portrait company had set up their equipment. "If we go now, we'll be out on the dance floor in no time and you can show your sister up."

Ryan giggled and punched Troy lightly in the arm. "Right," he scoffed. "Like she would ever let that happen. She's the real star of the family and I am perfectly content to let her have the spotlight."

"I don't know if I'd say that," Troy said as he wrapped his arms around Ryan's waist and stood right behind his boyfriend, looking out at the dance floor where Sharpay was currently commanding everyone's attention. "She gets other people's attention by commanding it from them. You win them over with your kindness and your warm personality. I'd take you any day over your sister."

Ryan just blushed and didn't say anything; his heart was in his throat at the moment. He just leaned his head against Troy's. "Let's go get our pictures taken," he said after a few moments. He dragged the brunet over to the picture line and filled out the appropriate paperwork.

When their photographer pulled them up in front of the painted backdrop, he arranged them so that Troy was standing with his arms crossed, while Ryan leaned up against him with his arm bent and resting on Troy's shoulder. It looked something like a best buddies picture and really wasn't anything that Troy had foreseen when he pictured their portrait.

"Hey," he said to the photographer who had already moved back behind his camera. "Do you mind if we change up the pose a little bit?" Ryan just looked at Troy, confusion in his eyes. The picture wasn't turning out like he had imagined, but he wasn't about to ruffle any feathers. Troy apparently had different ideas.

When the photographer just shrugged his shoulders, Troy reached over and brought Ryan to his chest so that he was facing half to him and half to the camera. He then wrapped his arms around Ryan's waist and smiled at the cameraman. "Much better," he said. "Now, smile for the camera, Ry."

Ryan just shook his head, but did as he was told and smiled. Soon enough, their pictures had been taken and the two of them were headed out to where the rest of the students were dancing. Troy took their jackets and checked them before they joined their friends out on the floor. Ryan soon felt himself lost in the music, dancing with Troy and his friends. As was typical at most high school dances, a long line of faster group dances was followed up with a few slow dances. As the first slow dance began, Ryan found himself in the arms of his boyfriend. He'd never been at a dance before where he'd been so open with his date, and he found he couldn't get enough of it. He was starting to see why other people liked school dances so much. Troy, once again, wrapped his arms around Ryan's waist while the blond's hands rested on his boyfriends shoulder. They spent several minutes just staring at each other before Ryan rested his head on Troy's chest. He could have just spent the rest of the night in that position, but unfortunately, the song was soon over and he felt someone tapping on his shoulder.

He lifted his head from its position on Troy's chest to find his boyfriend's face an emotionless mask. He quickly turned his head to see what had changed Troy's attitude so quickly and came face to face with Austin. "Can I have this dance?" he asked, holding out his hand.

He looked so hopeful that Ryan considered the offer for a fraction of a second. Only a fraction of a second, though. He knew he couldn't do that, given Austin and Troy's history. "You know I can't do that, Austin," Ryan said softly, hoping to draw as little attention to the situation as possible.

But Austin didn't seem dissuaded. "Come on, Ry," he said, still holding his hand out. "All I'm asking for is one dance. Surely your boy toy can let you go away for just one measly dance."

"It's not that he won't let me," Ryan said, turning completely away from Troy who was still standing silently next to the blond. "It's just that you can't seem to realize that Troy means a whole lot to me and that our relationship, yours and mine, is over. And no slow dance is going to change that."

He felt Troy's hand rest on the small of his back and was comforted by the support he silently showed. It did anything but calm down Austin, though. "I can't believe you," he seethed. "I can't believe that you would just toy with me for almost a year and then dump me for some stupid jock with a great smile.

"I thought what we had was special," he continued, his voice growing louder by the second. Ryan looked around and noticed that other people around them were starting to take notice of the stand off. "I thought that after we made love, we'd get even closer, but it seems like after you got what you really wanted, you just took off in search of your next conquest."

Ryan felt as though Austin had just taken a knife to his chest, and not just because of the hurtful things he was saying, the fact that he could degrade their relationship like that, but also because he hadn't wanted Troy to hear that he wasn't a virgin like he that. He wanted to tell him on his own time.

"You better watch out," Austin said, now directing his comments at Troy. "Once you fuck this little slut, he'll just toss you aside like he did me."

Whether or not he was going to say anything after that or not didn't matter because before he knew it, Troy's fist had connected with his jaw, sending him sprawling across the floor. He looked coldly at the boy lying in front of them and said, "Why don't you just get out of here and leave us alone."

He then turned back to Ryan and held out his hand. The blond gave his boyfriend his hand and followed him out of the dance hall, gazes following the retreating couple all the way out. No one had ever seen Troy get so physical before; it was sure to be the talk of the school for a long time to come.

•••HSM•••

The mood for the couple had been effectively killed at the dance after their altercation with Austin. They didn't stay long after Troy threw the punch; they neither wanted to see or be a part of the fallout afterward and so had just left the premises. The hotel at which Troy had rented their room was just a few blocks away and so they just decided to walk after grabbing their jackets from the coat check.

Ryan followed behind Troy who seemed to be working off some steam. He was walking at a brisk pace and wasn't really being very vocal and so Ryan had decided it was best for him to just hang back and not press any buttons. He knew he should have expected this kind of reaction to the news that he had slept with Austin, but that didn't mean he was any less disappointed by it. He had hoped for the perfect evening with his boyfriend, and it had started off well enough, but now he didn't know if he would be able to salvage any of it.

They arrived at the hotel shortly and walked through the lobby and to the elevator where Troy punched the button and walked in silently when the elevator doors opened. From what little of the hotel he was able to see, Ryan thought it was very nice, which only made him feel worse about the whole ordeal. Troy had also wanted to make this a special night, and now it was ruined.

The elevator doors opened on the fourth floor and Troy walked out, Ryan following silently behind him. When he approached the door that Ryan assumed led to their room, Troy began rummaging through his pockets, trying to find his key. Ryan, who had stashed his in his inner coat pocket grabbed it quickly and swiped them into the room.

Ryan watched as Troy walked in. He tossed his coat on the bed and stood there for a moment before running his hand through his shaggy hair. He then turned to look directly at Ryan for the first time since they left the dance. "Were you ever going to tell me about Austin?" he asked quietly.

Hearing the hurt in his voice caused Ryan to walk up to Troy and put his hand gently on his chest. "Of course I was going to," he said. "I just never really thought of a good time to do it. It's not really something I wanted to just bring up in casual conversation. But I'm so sorry you had to hear it like that. And I don't want you to think for a minute what he said was true. I would never do that to you. I didn't even do that to him."

"What was he talking about, then?" Troy asked. "What actually happened between the two of you?"

"He'd been wanting to have sex for a while, and I kept coming up with excuses not to," Ryan started, not really wanting to relive the whole experience, but knowing that Troy deserved to hear the truth. "Eventually, I-I just figured that if we had sex, everything that wasn't working about our relationship would just work itself out. As you can see, it didn't really happen that way."

"That's putting it mildly," Troy said, then looked back at his boyfriend. "I'm not going to lie, hearing everything like that really hurt, and not just because I found out I wasn't going to be your first."

The rest of what Troy was saying was lost on Ryan because he had just focused on what his boyfriend had just said. He wanted to be Ryan's first. He really did want to be with Ryan in that way. And hearing that made the blond's heart soar. It was nothing like hearing that Austin wanted to have sex with him. It just meant so much more than that.

"I wish you could have been my first, too," Ryan whispered, cutting off whatever Troy was saying. When he looked up, he saw that his boyfriend was smiling goofily at him.

"I know," Troy whispered and leaned down to place a kiss on Ryan's forehead. The two stood like that for several moments, both coming to terms with what they had just discovered. Eventually, Ryan began looking around the room. It really was extravagant, and not at all what Ryan had actually expected. It must have cost Troy a pretty penny.

"I can't believe you got us this room, Troy," Ryan said quietly. "You must have spent a fortune on it."

"Well," Troy started, pulling away from Ryan and leading him over to the bed. "I wanted this night to be something special for you. I know that you were really hesitant to come and let other people know about us, but I just wanted to show you that I really do mean this. I want us."

Ryan leaned in and kissed his boyfriend. He reached up and ran his hands through the taller boy's dark hair, feeling Troy let go and respond to the kiss. Soon, Troy's hands were gripping Ryan's hips tightly. But all too soon he pulled away from the kiss. "I think maybe we should get to sleep," he said.

Ryan groaned at that, but Troy continued. "I just really want to make sure that you're ready for something like this before we actually do it. I don't want you to ever feel like you regret anything we do. Ever," he finished.

"I know," Ryan agreed, albeit reluctantly. "Some day, but not today."

"Right," Troy said, leaning down to place one last chaste kiss on his boyfriend's lips. "Now, let's get to bed."

**A/N: I bet you all thought there was going to be some hanky panky at the end of the chapter, didn't you? Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but I just don't feel like this would have been a good place for their first time. We'll get there eventually, but not right now.**

**I wanted to thank everyone who has continued to read and review this story. All of your comments mean very much to me, especially as I notice that stories in this genre are becoming few and far between the many others. I promise you all that this story will be finished. I'm even working on something else. I guess I've become really attached to these characters (or at least my versions of them) and I don't think I can leave them behind.**

**Anyway, I hope you all continue to read, enjoy and review!**


	20. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER 19**

The sunlight coming through the sheer white curtains across the big picture window in their hotel room tickled Ryan's nose. Not even half awake, he lifted his arm reflexively to wipe away the non-existent itch and then turned the other direction, snuggling into warm sheets of the bed he was sleeping in. He burrowed more deeply into the covers until he came into contact with the warm body next to him. He couldn't really pinpoint the smell, but it was something distinctly man. It reminded him of being in the outdoors and sports. And his thoughts of sports always inevitably led to thinking about Troy. Ryan gave a mental sigh. Troy was so hot, if only he could get him into bed, right next to him where this other body was.

Wait. Body? Ryan's mind struggled to catch up with what his body was encountering, and in a moment everything came back to him. The complete awkwardness of his confrontation with Austin in the middle of the homecoming dance. The way Troy had punched Austin right in the face and then how the two of them had fled the dance hall. He remembered their walk to the hotel and then the excruciating conversation he'd had with his boyfriend about the fact that he was not a virgin. He knew that the conversation would have to come about sooner or later, but he had hoped it would be much later and that Troy would have had less of an opportunity to remember. But it was incredibly unlikely that he would ever forget that now.

Even though it had been a tough conversation to have, and probably a more difficult one to hear, Ryan had to keep in mind that he was lying in a bed at that very moment with his boyfriend. So it couldn't have been all that bad.

He snuggled in closely to Troy's body and was pleasantly surprised he felt the brunet throw his arm around his waist. He then brought both of his hands up and placed them on Troy's bare chest.

He felt heat rush to his cheeks when he remembered undressing in front of his boyfriend and watching that same boyfriend, the one whom he had lusted after for many years, undress in front of him. Sure, they had seen each other in their bathing suits, but what they had done last night was so much more intimate. Watching as Troy had divested himself of his tuxedo vest and slacks had been torturous. His pulse had quickened and his breathing shallowed, but that was nothing compared to the fact that he forgot to continue breathing when Troy removed his dress shirt, revealing his toned upper body. After Ryan had his fill of staring at his boyfriend's incredible body, his eyes were drawn to the navy blue boxer briefs that were covering his pubic region.

Ryan felt his own underwear filling out as he continued looking. A discreet cough brought his attention back up to his boyfriend's face, and when he saw the smirk in place, he blushed even more. "See something you like?" Troy asked.

Ryan just ducked his head and looked toward his feet. He felt Troy come up to him and bring him into a hug before he spoke up. "Come on," Troy said. "I'm beginning to think I'll be the only one standing around in my underwear."



He looked at his boyfriend, rubbing small circles on his back. "Look," he started. "I know that this whole situation is not what I had planned, but all we're going to do is sleep. There's no need for you to be nervous about anything." He leaned down and placed a light kiss on the crown of Ryan's head. He then reached up to the collar of Ryan's shirt and unbuttoned one button. When he met no resistance, he continued until he had completely undone his boyfriend's shirt. He slipped his hands under the shirt and slipped it off the blond's shoulders.

When it fell to the ground, Troy allowed himself the opportunity to look over his boyfriend's pale, smooth upper torso. "God, you're beautiful," he said, then leaned in to kiss Ryan deeply. "Let's go to bed."

Ryan slowly took off the last few articles of clothing until he, too, was left in only his underwear. Troy then leaned back in and pecked him quickly on the cheek before picking him up and, bridal style, and carrying him to their bed. Ryan giggled and looped his arm around Troy's neck before being placed gently on the mattress. Troy then lay down next to him and within moments, the two were asleep.

"What are you thinking about?" Troy's voice brought Ryan out of his thoughts. His boyfriend's grip tightened around his waist and he felt their skins press up against each other. He shuddered at the feeling. In a million years he never would have thought he would be this intimate with Troy Bolton. There was nothing but two thin pieces of poly-cotton blend separating the both of them, and it was driving Ryan wild.

"Mmm," Ryan mumbled. "Just thinking about how nice it is to wake up next to you like this."

"I couldn't agree more," Troy said, burying his head in the blond's hair and taking in a deep breath. He couldn't imagine a more perfect way to wake up either. He then shifted in the bed to look over his boyfriend to the alarm clock on the nightstand. "Well, it looks like we woke up just in time."

He disentangled himself from Ryan and swung his legs over the edge of the bed so that he could slip on a pair of jeans. As soon as he had the pants buttoned there was a knock on the door. The whole time Ryan had just been looking on from his spot on the bed in confusion. He had no idea what was going on.

Troy answered the door, and Ryan could hear a hushed conversation going on. He strained to hear what was being said, but couldn't make out what was being said. Soon enough, Troy turned around, only now he had a silver tray in his hand, and from what Ryan could make out, a silver plate cover was on top.

The brunet was nothing but smiles as he approached the bed, where he could see his boyfriend looking at him curiously. "Part of the package I got was breakfast in bed," he said, sitting the tray down next to Ryan. He took off the plate cover and revealed an array of breakfast foods, eggs, toast, bacon, jam, an assortment of fruits.

"This is perfect," Ryan said, smiling up at his boyfriend before reaching for a piece of toast. He looked around the tray and picked at a few things. "Are you going to eat anything or are you just going to stand there and creepily watch me eat?"

Troy just chuckled and sat down next to the blond, grabbing a piece of bacon and shoving the whole thing into his mouth. "Ew," Ryan said, watching his boyfriend eat. "That's gross, Troy."

The brunet just smiled around the bacon in his mouth. Once he had swallowed, he gave Ryan a look. "You love it," he said before leaning over and kissing the blond. He tried to pull away, but Ryan had already wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him in, leaning back so that Troy's bulkier frame fell on top of his.

They continued kissing for several minutes before a loud crash pulled them apart. In fulfilling their frantic desires, they had knocked their breakfast tray off the bed. Troy looked up and then back at his boyfriend. "Well," he said, "so much for breakfast."

"Mmm," Ryan said, not seeming to care much. "You taste better."

Troy smirked and leaned in to press a kiss to Ryan's lips. "You like that, don't you."

"I love it," Ryan said before he could stop himself. He then stopped and looked at Troy, who did not seem to share in his nervousness. The brunet only continued staring down at him. After several moments, Ryan reached up and rubbed his hand against his boyfriend's cheek. "I love you, too," he added.

Whatever he had been expecting, Troy sure as hell hadn't expected that. He knew Ryan didn't tend to share his emotions freely with others he felt could use them against him, and hearing him say those words, aside from the fact that they mirrored Troy's own, meant a whole lot to him. He just looked at the blond, staring into his deep blue eyes. When he noticed the expression on Ryan's face change to worry, he realized he hadn't said anything in return.

And so he leaned down to place his lips on the blond's. When he pulled back to look at that face he'd come to adore so much, he saw that the confusion was still there, but the worry had faded. "I love you, too," he said. "I love you so much."

At that, Ryan smiled. "What time are your parents expecting you home?" he asked.

Troy looked over at the alarm clock again. "I told them I'd be back by 10 a.m. at the latest," he said. "So, I've got about another hour before they'll send out the search squad."

"Hmm," Ryan said. "I think that gives us just enough time to enjoy each other's company a bit more."

•••HSM•••

Ryan had almost made it to his bedroom when he heard a creak in the floor behind him. He turned around to see his sister standing behind him in her fluffy pink bathrobe, looking almost as startled as he was. "Are you just getting home?" Sharpay asked, apparently having recovered from her shock.

When Ryan nodded, it looked as though his sister was going to continue in her line of questioning, but the hallway really wasn't the place he wanted to have this conversation. Actually, he'd just rather not have it, but knowing his sister, and knowing the fact that he actually hadn't discussed his relationship with Troy since they had come out, he knew he couldn't put it off any longer.

He shook his head and put his finger over his mouth, giving the universal signal for silence before gesturing to his room. He didn't wait for his sister to acknowledge him and just opened his door and walked into his room. He made his way over to the large walk-in closet and hung up his tuxedo bag on one of the hooks behind the door. He then slipped off his shoes near the foot of his bed and crawled onto his rather large king-size bed. Trying to make himself as comfortable as possible, he didn't even notice that Sharpay was still standing uncomfortably by the entrance.

By the time he did look up, his sister was about to high tail it out of his room. The look of awkwardness on her face had him taken aback for a moment. He didn't think he'd ever seen her loose her composure like that before, and definitely not when it was supposed to be him who was loosing any sense of composure.

"Come over here," he said to her, motioning for her to join him on the bed. There had been many times in their lives when the two of them would gossip, catch up and otherwise solve the problems of the world while ensconced in one or the other's bed. Usually those late night chats involved a box of Wheat Thins and involved topics of conversation that weren't so touchy. This wouldn't be one of those times, but Ryan was going to make sure it seemed as much like one of them as possible.

Sharpay made her way over to the bed and sat down, crossing her legs and making sure her cotton bathrobe was covering as much of her as possible before picking off imaginary pieces of lint. She seemed preoccupied and was trying to do mundane things to try to distract her from the conversation she seemed ready and willing to have just a few moments ago out in the hallway.

"You can come closer, you know," Ryan said, patting the part of his bed right next to him. "I'm not going to bite. I promise. I know how much you hate that."

Sharpay just shot him a withering stare, but moved closer to him nonetheless. They sat next to each other in silence for a few moments, Ryan staring intently at his sister while she stared intently at the bedding. "Are we going to talk?" Ryan finally asked. "Or are you going to just sit there and avoid looking at me? I thought you were the one who wanted to talk anyway."

"Well, I did," Sharpay said, finally looking up at her brother. "But then I realized I wasn't sure that I actually wanted to be talking about this."

Ryan looked at her with a confused expression plastered on his face. Since when was his sister, Sharpay Evans, not wanting to talk about any form of gossip. She was the person who had just blurted out at dinner that he'd had sex with Austin, after all. She didn't really get squeamish when it came to airing dirty laundry.

"Look, nothing happened," Ryan finally said. Not really knowing what to say, but figuring that question was probably at the top of his sister's list. "We just left the dance, which definitely did not turn out the way I had expected. Thanks to Austin. I can't believe he told Troy. I can't believe he told everything. I didn't want Troy to find out that way that I had slept with someone else."

When he finished he noticed that Sharpay was still looking somewhat uncomfortable. She still wasn't making eye contact with him. "Are you okay?" he asked, now beginning to get worried. "Did something happen to you last night? Did Zeke make you do something you didn't want to?"

Sharpay snorted. "Give me a break, Ryan," she said, finally making eye contact with him. "No one could force me to do anything I didn't want to."

"Then what's the deal?" Ryan asked.

"Look," Sharpay started. "I don't' like feeling vulnerable, so you are only ever going to hear this once, but when I first figured out that you and Troy were going out I was really jealous."

Now it was Ryan's turn to snort. "I'm serious," Sharpay said. The look in her eyes made Ryan keep any retort he had on the tip of his tongue in his mouth. "I mean, I've been practically throwing myself at Troy for who knows how long, and here you are, not even looking for anything and he comes out of the closet for you."

Ryan stayed quiet and so Sharpay continued. "Don't get me wrong, I love Zeke, but there was just something about Troy, you know? Something that made me want him so much. It was probably because I knew I could never have him, but that didn't stop me from trying. And then you started dating him and for the first time in my life, I wanted to be you instead of me."

"Why didn't you ever say anything to me about it?" Ryan asked. It wasn't like his blonde bombshell of a sister to keep any of her feelings or opinions locked up inside her. "I would have—"

"You would have what, Ry?" she asked, cutting him off. "You would have stopped seeing him? What kind of heartless bitch would I be to let you do something like that? I love you, and I can tell that Troy makes you happy. I would never want to take that away from you no matter how much I ever wanted it. That doesn't mean I wasn't jealous. Seeing the way you were always so happy. It made me think of what I could have had, but I never would have done anything to stop you from dating him."

"Then what's with the whole shy virgin routine this morning?" Ryan asked, still not really understanding how his sister's revelation translated into her uneasiness with the whole conversation.

Sharpay looked away from him and then let out a soft sigh. "I guess seeing you coming in this morning—I don't know, I guess I just let my mind run away with me and, you know how it is when you're finally confronted with something that makes it so you can't ignore what you've been ignoring?"

Ryan just looked at his sister, confusion written across his face. "Seeing you come in this morning, I thought you and Troy had sex and it made me finally admit that I had no chance with him, you know. Like finally realizing that a dream is all something is ever going to be. Like that. I know it sounds really dumb, but that's what I finally realized this morning. And then I felt ashamed for wanting to take something away that means so much to you."

And it all finally made sense to him. He leaned across and wrapped his arms around his sister. "Oh, Shar," he said. "I love you."

"I know," she replied, hugging her brother back just as tightly. "And you can express your love for me by never repeating this conversation to anyone. And if you do, I'll make you pay." She pulled away and gave her brother one of her patented you-think-I'm-joking-but-I-really-will-murder-you-in-your-sleep smiles.

"So," Sharpay started, all previous signs of nervousness and hesitation gone from her visage, "if you and Troy didn't do anything last night, why did you just come home this morning?"

"Well," Ryan said, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks. Now it was his turn to look away from his sibling and pick at the imaginary lint on his comforter. "After we got to the hotel room Troy got us, we just talked, mostly about Austin, which was not how I expected to spend the night of homecoming. But then we just went to sleep. Nothing happened."

"Uh huh," Sharpay said, not believing her brother at all.

"Honestly," Ryan said, defending his honor. "Okay, we kissed for a bit and then again in the morning, but nothing more than that. Actually, Troy ordered us breakfast in bed. So if we had been doing anything, the delivery guy would have gotten quite the eyeful."

Sharpay laughed softly and shoved her brother to the side as she lay down, focusing her attention on the ceiling of Ryan's room. Soon, he followed and the two blonde siblings found themselves laying next to each other in silence.

"He told me he loved me this morning," Ryan said, finally breaking the silence. "I told him I loved him, too."

"No shit?" Sharpay said, not moving a muscle, still looking intently at the ceiling.

"No shit," Ryan replied, staying just as still.

And then Sharpay shoved him off the side of the bed.

•••HSM•••

Troy walked into the small café, hearing the bell ring above him in the doorway. It only took him a second before he spotted the trademark style hat on top of his boyfriend's blond head amid the crowd of people. He smiled as he walked to the table, watching as Ryan looked intently at the small menu in front of him. He looked so cute when he was concentrating. Troy knew if he used all his cunning, he'd be able to sit himself in the table without his boyfriend actually noticing.

He had almost reached the table when he heard Ryan's voice. "You're not nearly as stealthy as you think you are," he said. "I knew you were here the second you walked through the door."

Troy frowned and plopped himself rather ungracefully in the seat across from the blond. "Don't pout," Ryan said, putting the menu down on the table and reaching across the table, holding out his hand for Troy to take. "You're stealthy in all the ways that matter to other people, but I just know you differently."

"So, I'm still stealthy?" Troy asked, sounding more like a petulant child than he did an 18-year-old high school senior.

"Of course you are, muffin," Ryan said, laughing when he saw the face Troy pulled after hearing his term of endearment.

"Muffin?" Troy asked, looking like he had just swallowed something incredibly distasteful. "Don't you think you could come up with something, I don't know, a little more masculine to call me?"

"Would you rather I called you turbo or something equally as jock-ish and stupid?" Ryan asked, taking his hand out of Troy's and reaching for his glass of water.

Light banter dominated their table conversation until the waitress came to take their orders. Ryan enjoyed the fact that he and Troy could just talk about nothing and be perfectly fine with it. With some people, he always felt like he had to be proving himself or be having some kind of stimulating conversation. And that just wasn't the case with Troy. They could talk about pet names or the ridiculous TV shows to which Ryan found himself constantly addicted. He never felt like he had to be someone he wasn't, which was probably a good trait in a boyfriend. While they waited for their food, Ryan found himself several times just looking at Troy as he rambled on about something. He noticed all the little thing about his boyfriend. The way he would stop every now and again to tuck hair behind his ear, even though it wasn't quite long enough to actually go behind his ear, the way he bit the corner of his lower lip when he was trying to find the perfect word to describe what he was talking about, all of those little tics that added up to be the boy he loved.

Once their food came, they quieted down and tucked in. Eventually, as he usually did, Troy finished his meal well before Ryan and just looked over at his boyfriend. Ryan, sensing the eyes boring into him, looked up and smiled at the brunet. "I missed you," Troy said quietly.

Looking down at his watch, Ryan chuckled softly and said, "We've only been apart for three hours. What could you possibly have missed that much?"

Troy just shrugged his shoulder, and didn't even attempt to answer the question. After a few more minutes, Ryan had also finished his meal. He looked back at his boyfriend, who was still staring intently at him. He felt the heat rise in his cheeks and tried to start another conversation so that he didn't have to focus on the fact that he really wanted nothing more than to jump across the table into Troy's lap and kiss him senseless in front of everyone in the café.

"So," Ryan started, not quite sure where he was going to take the conversation even as he started it, "how are your college applications coming along?"

"Eh," Troy said. "I mean, I'm filling them out and everything, but the more I think about it, the less I actually know what I want to do. I mean, I know I want it to be something with sports, but I'm just not sure how."

"You mean you can't just major in basketball?" Ryan asked impishly. "Now what are you going to do?"

"Ha ha," Troy said, giving his boyfriend a look. "I'm just trying to figure out what I want to do with my life and it's actually a lot harder than I thought it would be. I'm looking into some sports medicine programs and then I found this one program called exercise and sports science. It sounds interesting, but I really don't know if I could spend the rest of my life doing science stuff."

"Well," Ryan started, trying to be helpful, "at least you have an idea of what you want to do. It's good to have a starting place. Some people spend most of their time at college not knowing what they want to do."

Troy looked thoughtful for a moment. "What about you?" he asked. "What are you looking into?"

"I don't really know," Ryan responded, looking down at the table for a moment. "I just know that I want something different. I want a different experience than what I've had here. I know that I don't have the will power or the desire to make it in show business—that's more Shapay's thing. I just want to find something I really enjoy. I guess I'll just have to find a school I really like and then look for something to major in once I get there."

Troy just nodded his head in understanding. "Well, I'm tired of talking about the future," he said. "How about we focus on right now and what we're going to do next."

"You mean you're not sick and tired of me yet?" Ryan asked, a large smile playing on his lips. "You're sure you want to hang out with me some more?"

Troy just rolled his eyes. "Why don't we just go over to your place and watch TV?" he suggested. "I could definitely go for a little cuddle time on the couch."

"You drive a hard bargain, Mr. Bolton," Ryan said, pushing his chair back and holding his hand out for Troy to grab. "Let's go."

And so the two walked out of the café, leaving cash on the table to cover their tab, Troy with his arm wrapped around his boyfriend's waist and Ryan's head leaning on Troy's shoulder.

•••HSM•••

Ryan thought to himself as he sat on the hard, wooden bleachers in the gymnasium at East High that he had never been to as many sporting events in his entire life as he had in the past few months. Apparently dating a basketball player meant that you were almost as permanent feature in the gym as the bleachers on which he was currently sitting.

He tried to pay attention to the game, most of the time. Really, he did. But sometimes, he just got distracted by other things going on around him. Of course, he always tuned into the game when Troy was doing something, but other than that, Ryan found his friends and the people around him more interesting.

He had been talking with Taylor for a good 15 minutes when all of a sudden, Gabriella was pulling on the sleeve of his shirt, trying to bring his attention away from their brainy friend. "Oh my gosh, Ryan," she said, finally getting him to look at her. "Do you know who that guy over there is?"

Ryan looked to where his friend was pointing and saw an older man, wearing a charcoal gray suit sitting several rows down and over. He had to admit that the guy was handsome, but he didn't think that warranted the amount of fuss Gabriella was having because of him. "I have no idea who he is," Ryan stated, ready to turn back around and resume his conversation with Taylor.

"Ryan," Gabriella said in a tone that indicated that he should know exactly who that man was. "That guy over there is a scout for the University of Albuquerque. He only comes out to pre-season games when he thinks someone on the team has really got some talent. I bet he's here to watch Troy and maybe scout out a few more of the guys. This is so exciting!"

Ryan looked back over the man and squinted at him, not really knowing why, but all of a sudden getting an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. For some reason, without even uttering a word to the other man, Ryan knew he didn't like him.

His attention was drawn away from the scout when he heard the crowd begin to cheer. He looked to the court just in time to see Troy take the basketball into the key and run in for a layup. The crowd cheered again and Ryan looked back over to the scout to find his attention focused solely on his boyfriend. The man then looked down to his lap and began scribbling notes down on a yellow steno pad.

He looked back out to the court and watched as his boyfriend high fived his teammates and received congratulatory pats on the back. Apparently he had stolen the ball from the other team and taken it all the way down to their basket. Ryan had to admit that was pretty good, but for some reason couldn't bring himself to be happy for Troy at the moment. If he impressed the scout, then he'd get a scholarship. If he got a scholarship, he'd more than likely go to UA. And if he went to UA, then they'd probably have to do the long distance thing, because Ryan had absolutely no intention of setting foot on his dad's alma mater.

And that unnerved him.

He didn't know if he could do a long distance relationship. Well, that's not true. He was definitely sure he could do it, but he didn't know if Troy could handle it. Knowing how popular and gregarious his boyfriend was, he'd have a million friend within the first week of classes and then he'd meet some hot guy—or maybe even a girl—and then that would spell the end of their relationship.

And not only that, but as far as he knew, being a basketball star had been Troy's dream since as long as he could dribble a ball. They had already talked about the difficulties of being an out athlete, but Ryan didn't know if Troy fully understood the gravity of their relationship and what it meant for everything he wanted to do in life. And the last thing he ever wanted to do was hold his boyfriend back from one of his dreams.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when the crowd around him started screaming again. He glanced back down at the court just as Troy released the ball from his hands. He watched it sail over the other players and right into the hoop. It hit nothing but net.

His gaze went back to the scout and he frowned when he saw the smile on the man's face. Gabriella then turned to her friend and noticed the expression. "Is there something wrong?" she asked him.

Ryan shook his head; it wouldn't do any good to get caught thinking about things like that. "No," he said. "I was just thinking. That was a great shot Troy just made, wasn't it?" And with that, he went back to looking at the action on the court.

Gabriella just looked at him with a curious gaze for a few moments before she, too, turned back to the game.

**A/N: And all is well … or is it!?**

**Well, I've only got five chapters left and then Thank Goodness will, thankfully, be complete. My goal is to get it finished before classes begin at the end of August. Actually, the sooner the better for my schedule. So, hopefully you'll all be seeing some more updates in the very near future.**

**Thanks again to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. In this one you finally got to see what Sharpay has been thinking about everything and I hope you all enjoyed it.**

**Please review and have a great week!**


	21. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER 20**

It had been almost a week since the basketball game with the recruiter and Ryan could not stop himself from thinking about it. If he had known that one little instance would seemingly take over his life, he would never have gone to the game. Well, he didn't really have a choice when it came to going to the game, but maybe he would have shoved something in Gabriella's mouth to keep her from saying anything. At the moment, Ryan couldn't agree more with the old saying that ignorance was bliss. If he had never heard of the scout, he could have just gone on with his life as normal. As it was, he kept second-guessing whether or not his boyfriend was actually going to be able to achieve all that he wanted while being involved with him.

He'd tried pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind, but they always had a way of creeping into the forefront when he least suspected it. Ryan had always considered himself to be a little obsessive compulsive, but this was beginning to border on ridiculous. Every time something even resembled a basketball or something basketball related, his mind would go right back to the scout and everything that scout could mean for his relationship.

That's why, when he'd woken up earlier that morning still preoccupied by all things basketball, he decided to have a chat with someone who would probably be the most knowledgeable of Troy, basketball and the combination of the two: his dad.

To say that going to the infamous Coach Bolton's office to talk about his son's relationship was unnerving was just a little bit of an understatement. He was terrified. While having dinner with Troy's parents had gone a long way to assuage Ryan's nerves about how accepting his boyfriend's parents would be, going to have a one-on-one conversation with the hot-headed coach scared him. But he was determined enough to get over this that he shoved his nerves to the side and made his way to the locker room.

He pushed open the door and was immediately greeted with the sounds, sights and smells of a typical high school locker room. Some of the teams apparently had morning practices as the locker room was filled with noise and guys walking around in nothing other than towels or underwear. Ryan averted his eyes, but blushed slightly, as he made his way to Coach Bolton's office.

When he reached the door, he noticed it was slightly ajar and so knocked softly before pushing the door and sticking his head through. Mr. Bolton had just turned to see the blond and gave him a warm smile after he wiped the confused look from his face. "Ryan," he said, waving the boy into the room. "What brings you here this morning? Is something going on with Troy?"

Ryan entered the office and took a seat in one of the chairs near the older Bolton's cluttered desk. He looked around briefly taking in the office. He'd never really paid too much attention to anything in the locker room, always trying to get in and out as quickly as possible that one year he was required to take a physical education class. Why the schools required that was beyond him. He got plenty of exercise in his dancing lessons and yoga class. But that was beside the point. He noticed that the walls of the coach's office were cluttered with team pictures and newspaper clippings. They were mostly about the team and its championship run last season, but there were also some feature articles about Troy. But what stuck out to Ryan the most was one newspaper article that had been matted and framed. It was newspaper article from around the time of the championship game last year that was about how father and son had worked together on the winning team. It must have meant a lot to Troy's father.

He probably would have remained in his own world if Mr. Bolton hadn't cleared his throat at that moment, obviously trying to get Ryan's attention. "Oh, sorry," he said, blushing lightly. "I-uh-I came here this morning because I needed to talk to you about something. It's about Troy."

At the mention of his son's name, Mr. Bolton's posture straightened a bit and he leaned in toward the blond. Noticing that, Ryan tried quickly to pacify the older man. "No, it's nothing bad. I promise. I just, well, I was at the game last week and I noticed the college scout there and it's just made me think a lot about everything. You know, about me and Troy and stuff."

Mr. Bolton nodded, beginning to see where this conversation was going. "And what did it make you think about?" he asked.

"Well," Ryan started, his hands fidgeting nervously with the straps of his bag, "I guess, I was just—I mean, you know I don't really know anything about sports, and so I was just wondering what, you know, I mean, and I know that Troy wants to play basketball in college and probably go pro and—"

"And you want to know what that means for your relationship with him?" Coach Bolton asked, helping the flustered blond spit out what he was trying to say. "Have you talked at all to Troy about this?"

Ryan shook his head. "I didn't want him to know that I was thinking so much about it," he said. "He just would have become preoccupied with it, too."

"Well," Mr. Bolton said, leaning back in his desk chair, "I'm not going to lie to you and say that being a gay man doesn't necessarily help his chances of going pro, but that doesn't mean it can't be done. But I also think this is something you should be talking about with Troy, not me."

Ryan blushed and lowered his head. "I know," he said. "I just, I don't know, this whole relationship with him is so new and it means so much to me, but I don't know how much he's thinking about how this will affect him in the long run, you know? I just want him to know that this is what he wants."

The older Bolton just looked at the blond for a moment, not saying anything, just letting everything he'd just said sink in. When Troy had fist come to him and his wife talking about how he was seeing this Evans boy, he had to admit that he was caught off guard, and then spent the next few weeks thinking it was only a phase. Even after he had gotten over thinking about this as a phase, he still didn't know how serious the two could possibly be, they were only in high school after all. Things change. But after listening to what Ryan had just said to him, he had to admit that things were far more serious than he had ever considered. He also had to admit that at least Ryan was being very mature about everything. Far more mature than most high schoolers where when in a relationship.

Finally, he leaned forward and placed his hand on the blond's shoulder. "You should really talk to Troy about this if it's bugging you so much," he said. "You'll do no good keeping your worries to yourself. And Troy may surprise you; he might have already thought these things through."

Ryan smiled back at Troy's dad, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. He nodded and thanked the coach before he grabbed his bag and made his way out of the locker room. He had some serious thinking to do before he actually talked to Troy about this. And so he made his way to the one place he always used to think through his problems.

•••HSM•••

Troy tossed the basketball to Zeke before the player guarding him got in his way, and even though he couldn't see the action at the end of the court, the screeching of the sneakers and the swoosh of the net told him that his team had been successful in scoring the winning point of the scrimmage game.

He walked over to where the rest of his team was congregating on the middle of the court, offering his congratulations for a job well done before walking as a group over to the bleachers where their water bottles were waiting for them. They each grabbed their water before taking a seat near one another. It was like a photo shoot for an Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue: scantily clad young men, glistening with sweat, drinking their bottles of water.

"I can't believe we've only got a few months left of this before it's all over with," Chad said, gesturing around him after taking a rather long chug of his water. "I mean, it's going to be weird, right?"

Both Zeke and Jason nodded their heads while Troy looked thoughtful before answering. "I didn't think this would all be coming to an end so soon. It just seems like only a little while ago that we were all just starting out on the freshman team. But I mean, don't you think it's about time for a little change?"

"What do you mean?" Chad asked, obviously confused by what his friend was saying.

"I don't know," Troy started, setting his water down at his feet. "I mean, we can't always be on the same team, right? And I mean, I loved being here with you guys all the time, but don't you think you're ready for something else. Something just a little bit different?"

Jason just looked between his friends, thinking the answer was obvious. "Why ruin a good thing, though?" he said. "I mean, we know how to function as a team and we work well together, so why would we want things to change? We don't have to try and get used to anything else, we just know how to work with each other."

"Because, that's just the thing," Troy said. "We have already gotten as good as we can get with each other. Unless we challenge ourselves, we'll always stay right where we are and we won't ever be as good as we can be."

The four friends sat around mulling over what Troy had just said for several moments, no one wanting to be the first person to break the silence. Finally, Chad was the one to speak up. "I guess you're right," he said, smiling at his friends. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it or anything."

"It's not like things haven't already started to change, dude," Zeke spoke up from his position next to Troy. "I mean look, Troy's dating a dude, and not just any dude, but Ryan Evans. I don't know if things could change much more than that."

Troy rolled his eyes as Chad cracked up and patted his friend on the back. "You've got to admit," the frizzy haired ball player said to his friend, "he's got a point. Who would have ever thought you would be dating Ryan Evans?"

"And who would ever have thought that you would be dating Taylor or that Zeke would be dating Sharpay?" Troy rebutted. "My point is that, while I'll never forget anything that we've done together, I'm ready for something new. I'm ready to do something that I've never done before and move to the next level."

"Do you think you have a pretty good chance at playing college ball?" Jason asked. "I mean, that scout was here last week. Do you think he's telling everyone good things about you?"

Before he had the chance to reply to that question, Zeke shot off another. "Wait a second, wasn't that guy from U of A? Are you thinking of going there? Because I've been talking to Sharpay and she said that neither she or Ryan are even going to apply there. Are you two going to do the long distance thing?"

Troy frowned. He hadn't even thought about that yet. He'd just been really caught up in improving his game and challenging himself. He had talked to Ryan about applying to college, and somehow he knew that Ryan didn't want to go to school anywhere near their home, but he'd been too preoccupied with his dream of going pro that he hadn't stopped to think about other things he now needed to take into consideration. Did he really think he could do the long distance thing? And what would Ryan think about all of this? In a matter of moments, Troy had gone to feeling in control of his life to feeling adrift. Damn him for trying to spark intellectual conversation with his friends.

"I don't know," he finally said. "I haven't really had a chance to talk that stuff over with Ryan yet. Do you think he'd be okay with a long distance relationship?"

"Man," Zeke spoke up, "if he's anything like his sister, he'd never be able to handle it. Sharpay needs someone there to take care of her. I mean, I know Ryan's different, but still, they're family. They have to have some things in common, right?"

"I guess," Troy said, not really knowing any other way to respond.

"Dudes," Chad said, saving Troy from any other awkward conversation, "I don't know about you, but I'd rather spend the rest of our free period doing what we do best instead of sitting around talking about things that haven't even happened yet."

"For real," Jason chimed in before getting up and grabbing the ball that had been lying neglected off to the side of the group of friends. "Besides, we've got to make sure that Troy stays in tip top shape for the season. And, no offense, but you're looking kind of flabby."

"Whatever, dude," Troy said as he got up from the bleacher and stole the ball from his friend before running in for a layup.

•••HSM•••

Troy was walking through the busy hallways of East High right after the last bell of the day had rung. He hadn't seen much of his boyfriend throughout the day and so he had Ryan on the mind. He was a man on a mission, and that mission was to find his boyfriend.

He passed countless faces as he approached the blond's locker. The door was open, blocking Ryan's face from view, but Troy could tell by the hat peaking over the top of the metal door that his boyfriend was busy rummaging through his locker. He came up and leaned against the locker-covered wall just in time for Ryan to close the door and turn to face him. The blond jumped back a bit in shock, not having noticed his boyfriend's approach, but quickly let out a breath. "Troy," he said throwing his messenger bag over his shoulder, "you scared me."

He began walking away from Troy before the brunet had a chance to say anything in his defense, but that didn't stop Troy from reaching out and grabbing a hold of his boyfriend's hand, stopping his progress out of the school building.

"Hey, slow down, turbo," Troy said, making Ryan turn around to face him again.

"Look, I just want to go home, okay?" Ryan said, trying to pull his hand from Troy's grasp. "It's been a really long day and I've got a lot on my mind. You don't mind, do you?"

"Wait," Troy started, not letting go of his boyfriend's hand. "Is something the matter? Do you want to talk about it?"

Ryan looked into his boyfriend's eyes. They were so full of concern. This is what he had always wanted, someone to be concerned for his well being above any others. So why was he fighting it so much? Why was he continuously looking for anything that could possibly be wrong? Why wasn't he just letting himself be happy. He then looked to Troy's arm that wasn't busy holding him in place to see the basketball and it all came rushing back. Being in a relationship required more than him just making sure that he was happy. He also needed to make sure that Troy was looking out for himself. A relationship was a two-way street; it involved two people, and both of them needed to be happy.

"I don't really want to talk about it," Ryan said.

That simple statement made Troy more worried than anything else. Ryan hadn't denied that something was wrong, just that he didn't want to talk about it. What was even more confusing was the fact that this was just coming out of left field. He thought that everything between the two of them was going well.

"Are you sure?" Troy asked, wanting to satisfy his own curiosity more than anything else

"I'm sure," Ryan said, not making eye contact with his boyfriend. "Can we just leave now?"

Troy just nodded and began walking out of the school, still holding onto the blond's hand. A million things were racing through his mind at the moment. Some of them ridiculous, some of them very scary. Was Ryan rethinking this whole relationship? They'd finally just got to a good place, at least that's what Troy thought. But he couldn't really tell what was going on in Ryan's head at the moment. As they approached the parking lot, Troy began slowing down until he had come to a complete stop.

"Ry," he said. "I really need you to talk to me if something is bothering you. I know it sounds kind of corny, but what if something is wrong, then I worry, especially if I don't know what's going on."

He looked at his boyfriend with a piercing stare and could see the inner battle that was going on. Was Ryan going to talk or was he just going to brush it off. He was very capable of doing both. Troy just hoped he chose to talk rather than stay silent.

It took several minutes before Troy could see Ryan's shoulders slump, something he had come to know that meant he was about to talk. "I've just been thinking about a lot of stuff, Troy," he said. His voice sounded so small, as if he wasn't sure what he was talking about, and a far cry for the confident tone with which he normally spoke. "I just … are you sure this is what you want? Us?"

"Of course," Troy said emphatically. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you this but I really do. I want this."

"I know you think you want it," Ryan said, trying to get his point across, "but have you really taken the time to think about it? What this means for your basketball career? Your chances of going pro? There's so much to think about and I don't know if you've actually thought about it.

"I guess what I'm saying is, do you still want to be with me even if it means you have to give up basketball?" Ryan knew it was a harsh question and he didn't like giving ultimatums, but really that wasn't an ultimatum. He wasn't asking Troy to choose, just to think about everything.

"I don't—I can't say that I've thought about those things," Troy said, obviously caught off guard by the question. He would be lying if he said that he hadn't thought about the fact that it would _harder_ for him to go pro, but he'd never really considered the fact that he might not actually make it. And that was something that scared him a little bit. All his life, he'd been planning on playing basketball in some shape or form for the rest of his life. What Ryan had just suggested was definitely a shock to the system.

"Look," Ryan said, taking Troy's pause to mean that he still needed to think about what he'd just said. "I really need you to think about this. Why don't we just go home and I'll give you a little space, then we can talk more about it tomorrow, okay?"

Troy just nodded his head, still trying to digest all of the information that had just been thrown at him. Ryan smiled slightly, and leaned in to give Troy a quick kiss. "I love you," he whispered before pulling away. He gave his boyfriend's hand one final squeeze before walking away toward his car.

Troy watched as Ryan got in his car and pulled out of the parking lot. How had his day turned out like this?

•••HSM•••

He loved Ryan. He knew that. He didn't need to convince himself of that. If there was anything in his life of which he was absolutely sure, it was his feelings for the blond boy who had stolen his heart. But that wasn't what was causing his distress at the moment. No, what was upsetting Troy right now was that he couldn't reconcile the fact that the two things he wanted most in the world might not be compatible with one another. He had never really considered the fact that he might have to give up one to get the other.

All he ever wanted to be was a basketball player. It's what he'd spent most of his life doing. He loved playing and he'd basically planned out his future based on the fact that he would continue playing. That all started to change, however, when he met Gabriella. She had opened his eyes to a world outside the sport. But even she couldn't take his mind off the goal of going pro. Sure, he'd expanded his area of influence to include theater, but it never really held the place in his heart that the team sport did.

And then there was Ryan. He had come out of nowhere to capture the brunet's attention, and soon thereafter, his heart. Some may have considered it a bit early for Troy to be saying this, but he couldn't really imagine his life without being accompanied by the diminutive blond. The only problem was that he didn't know which to choose. Was he supposed to pick the one constant in his life for as long as he could remember or was he supposed to pick the boy who seemed to be taking up more and more of his time?

Those were the thoughts occupying his mind as he walked through the front door of his home. He hadn't planned on coming back to his house alone that afternoon and he certainly didn't think he'd be coming home with such a weight on his shoulders.

He walked into the kitchen and directly to the fridge, grabbing a cold bottle of water before heading upstairs to his bedroom. He walked into his own personal sanctuary and closed the door, making sure that he could keep out all outside influences, at least for a little while. He made his way over to his bed and sat down on the edge, not moving for a moment. He looked almost comatose until he laid back and spread himself over the top of his bed. He reached his arm up to rest his water bottle over his forehead.

He knew that his chances for being an professional athlete in a same-sex relationship were slim, but he always considered himself an optimist. If he worked hard enough, wouldn't he be able to accomplish anything he put his mind to? Wasn't his desire to accomplish it enough to make sure it would happen?

But what if Ryan was right and being in a relationship with him would put an end to that part of his life? Was being in a relationship enough of a reason to totally change his life plan?

On the other hand, how often did anyone come across that one person who just seemed to get them? Was it easier to find a soul mate or become a professional basketball player? A question for the ages. One to which Troy wish he knew the answer. If he could just answer this question, he could get off his bed and go on with his life. As it was, though, tough life questions couldn't just be answered with the flick of a wrist. As Troy was contemplating all the ways he could avoid this topic, he realized that Ryan wouldn't accept that, which made everything even more complicated.

There was nothing like the feeling he got after the last basketball season when his team had taken the championship title. It was the biggest rush of his life. But then there was the feeling he got when he was alone with Ryan. He got the feeling even when they were just sitting next to one another. Ryan would rest his head on Troy's shoulder and he would become overwhelmed with a sense of fulfillment. Like everything he needed was right there with him.

How could you make a choice between those feelings? Did he have to? Why did life have to be so complicated all the time? Couldn't he just have it all?

And even if he did have it all, a boyfriend and a basketball career, was he ready for a long distance relationship. Ryan had made it more than clear that he was not interested in going to Albuquerque, and in all honesty, that was the only school that was seriously looking at him for any kind of basketball scholarship. Would Ryan be able to handle the long distance? Would he?

Ryan had such a magnetic personality; surely he would find someone new wherever he went to school. Troy would stay back home and Ryan would go out into the world and have new adventures and grow up. Where would that leave them and their relationship?

There were so many questions, and Troy didn't have any answers for them.

Troy remained on his bed for quite some time, just thinking. He didn't think he had ever been so still in all his life. And even after more than an hour of just thinking, the only thing Troy knew was that he wasn't going to be able to figure this situation out in one day. Or by himself.

**A/N: Ugh. What angsty teenagers. But then again, what teenager isn't just a little bit angsty. Kind of a downer after the nice fluffiness of the last chapter, I know, but it's all part of the plan. Just stay tuned.**

**Work started this week, so I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything. Hopefully, I'll just take some time this weekend to decompress and write a lot. There's not much left to go. I hope you're all continuing to enjoy the story and thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter. It means a lot.**


	22. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER 21**

Ryan turned the key in the sterling doorknob, causing the gears to unlock. He pushed the door open and walked into the front entrance of his house. After leaving school, he'd gone a long drive. Some might call it the drive to nowhere. And the fact that he lacked a destination didn't really seem to faze Ryan. He didn't want to think of anything other than keeping his car on the road.

Now, being back at his house, he had nothing to do but think about the seemingly never-ending drama that was his life. He set his car keys down on the table runner nearest the door and then slowly began his way through the foyer, fully intent on getting a tub of ice cream from the kitchen and eating it all. By himself.

He was even considering going and throwing on a pair of sweatpants. Ryan shook his head at the thought; he was not going to let himself get this way over something when he didn't even know how it was all going to turn out. He was still going to get the ice cream, though.

The kitchen was completely spotless, as usual, except for the large stack of mail that was sitting on the counter. Ryan was at glad enough that he was alone to wallow in his self-imposed depression, not wanting anyone to see him devour an entire half gallon of whatever flavor of ice cream was gracing their freezer. He had just opened the door to the refrigerator when he heard the telltale clacking of shoes that always announced his sister's arrival.

He let out a quick sigh and braced himself to put on a good act for his sister, but was caught off guard by the loud shriek she emitted just a few seconds after entering the kitchen. He jumped around and banged his arm into the refrigerator door, causing him to wince and back away from the contraption.

"Jesus, Shar," he said, rubbing his hand around the area on his arm that had run into the metal door of the fridge. "Do you always have to make such an entrance? No one is going to give you any award here."

Sharpay shot her brother a glare. "What's got your panties in a bunch?" she asked, and then without waiting for her brother to respond, continued. "Besides, I wasn't acting. I was genuinely excited. And it was all for you. But I guess if you're going to be such a Polly Prissy Pants, I won't even show you what I was so excited about."

"Polly Prissy Pants, Sharpay? Really?" Ryan asked. "Are we really going to pretend that we're back in the fourth grade?"

"Fine," Sharpay said, steeling her glare and her shoulders. "I'll just be taking your mail upstairs and leave you down here to wallow in whatever pity party you have planned for yourself."

"You'd commit a federal crime just because I finally decide to exude some of that Evans charm that you flaunt around all the time?" Ryan asked, an unusual tone creeping into his voice, one that spoke of bitterness, tiredness and weariness. And Ryan heard it, too. "I'm sorry," he said. "I've just got a lot on my mind."

Sharpay's brows furrowed and she walked over to her brother, holding out a large envelope. "I'll let it slide this once," she said. "But don't think it can happen again. Here's what I got so excited about." And with that she turned in a flourish and left the kitchen.

Ryan watched her leave and then looked down at the envelope he was now holding. His jaw dropped. It was a letter from NYU. His dream school.

"If you want to talk, though," Sharpay said, poking her head back into the kitchen, catching her brother off guard, "I'll be upstairs in my room."

Ryan's head, which had snapped up at the sound of his sister's voice was now back to looking at the large envelope. "Big is a good thing, right?" he asked himself. "I mean, why would they spend all that money on sending me a big 'Sorry, Loser. You didn't get in' sticker?"

He let the parcel sit in his hands for a moment longer before he began to slowly tear at one of the edges. Soon the envelope was open and he carefully pulled out the small stack of papers inside it. He looked at the letterhead, noticing the embossed NYU logo on the top with the Office of Admission address directly below. And then he began to read.

Within seconds, a wide grin spread across his. He'd been accepted. Everything he had ever dreamed about for the last four years was now at the tips of his fingers. All he had to do was fill out the proper paperwork and he'd be on his way to New York City at the end of the school year. He'd be out of Albuquerque for good.

At that thought, his smile dulled considerably. He'd be leaving home and everyone there. Even Troy, who he knew hadn't applied to any schools anywhere near New York. He slid the papers back into the envelope and walked back to the fridge. This time, instead of opening the freezer, he opened the cooler and grabbed a bottle of water, his appetite for sorrow-drowning completely gone.

He slammed the door shut and then made his way up to his sister's room. He had a lot to talk about.

•••HSM•••

Troy walked into the hallway with heavy steps. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night prior; his mind kept reeling with all the possibilities his life could take depending on the decision he made about Ryan and basketball. In all honesty, he hadn't been able to come to any kind of decision regarding anything. He really just hoped that Ryan would come up to his locker, laugh and then tell him to forget about the whole thing before taking him into an abandoned classroom and doing unmentionable things to him.

Okay, so the last part was really just some pent up sexual frustration on Troy's part, but, hey, a boy can dream.

He walked up to this locker and quickly opened it before haphazardly shoving his bag inside. He leaned forward to rest his head on the cool metal after closing the door. He hoped that the soothing coolness of the metal would stave off the headache he felt coming, or maybe his boyfriend telling him that things would just go back to normal would accomplish the same thing.

His eyes remained closed for several minutes until he got the uncanny sense that he was being watched by someone. Slowly, he opened his eyes and turned his head slightly so that his forehead was still touching his locker door and came face-to-face with the blond boy he'd been waiting to see again since the end of school yesterday.

"Hey," Troy said, straightening up and turning to face his boyfriend. The two stood there for a moment, just staring at one another. Troy gave the blond a lop-sided grin and ran his hand through his hair, awkwardness he hadn't felt in a long time hitting him straight in the gut.

"Hey," Ryan replied, returning the grin, even if it didn't so much reach his eyes.

"So, uh," Troy began, not knowing where to start. He looked over at Ryan and couldn't tell a thing. The usually expressive blue eyes were shut off from him. He had no idea what was going through Ryan's head at the moment. And that worried him a lot, mostly because it didn't bode well for his headache.

"Yeah," Ryan said, still not giving anything in terms of the trajectory of the conversation.

After several more moments of awkward silence, Troy finally spoke up again. "Can we just forget about all of this?" he asked. "I mean, can't we just forget about all of this stuff and just go back to being us. Nothing else matters, right?"

Ryan smiled sadly and shook his head. "How can you say that, Troy?" he asked. "Look at it this way. All you've wanted for as long as I can even remember is to be a pro basketball player. Your dating me, while not making it impossible to do that, makes it a whole hell of a lot harder. You've only been dating me for two months. How are you so certain that this is what you want?"

Troy stood there for a moment longer just looking at Ryan. He couldn't believe that the blond was talking about their relationship in such clinical terms. "I don't know what to say to that," he started. "And I don't know if it's really important that I do. I want to be in a relationship with you, and I don't think it's really important for me to think about what may or may not be harder for me to do later in life."

Ryan took a step closer to the brunet and put his hands on his shoulders. "Troy," he started, letting all the emotion he was feeling show through his eyes, "I love you. You know that. I love you so much. Which is why I can't let you make a decision like this without thinking about what may or may not happen."

He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against Troy's. He had to admit, it felt good to just forget about the outside world and all of the commitments and pressures that came along with it. It was nice, for just this moment, to pretend like none of that mattered. But it really did matter. He couldn't just forget about everything, about how hard it could be and how if he really did open himself up to the possibility of this all working out, it could all end up like pie in his face.

He pulled back from his boyfriend and gave him another smile. "I got my acceptance letter to NYU yesterday," he said, watching as Troy's face clouded with confusion and then, just as suddenly, cleared with realization.

"You're going to go, aren't you?" he asked.

Ryan shrugged. "I don't know yet," he said, turning his head away from Troy's piercing stare. "But do you really want to be in a relationship that spans the whole country? Would that really be meaningful to you?"

"Are you saying you don't even want to give it a try?" Troy asked hotly. He couldn't believe they were having this conversation. They had already faced so many different challenges, least of all was coming out to their friends and family. Why wasn't Ryan willing to give this a shot.

"I'm not saying that," Ryan answered calmly, keeling his hands on Troy's shoulders. "I'm just wondering why we would risk things that mean so much to us, that we've wanted forever, just to try something out that might not even work."

Troy took a step back, effectively removing Ryan's hands from his shoulders. "That's a cop out," he said, shaking his head angrily. "It seems to me like you're just trying to think up every excuse you can to get out of this relationship because you think I'm going to fail you in some way."

Ryan inhaled sharply at that. He'd never meant to make Troy feel like he didn't trust him, although, maybe on some subconscious level he didn't trust him to be able to handle the pressure of choosing between him and a potential career. And before he knew it, he was leaning back into Troy and placed his lips over the brunet's. He kept still for several moments before pulling back. And when he did, there were tears running down his cheeks.

"I love you," he said. "I love you so much that I don't want to get in the way of your life. Of the life you've always wanted."

Troy, seeing the tears, pulled the blond into a hug, wrapping his arms around the lithe body and holding him as if he were going to slip away. Ryan rested his chin on Troy's shoulder, letting the tears fall silently. "Please don't make this hard, Troy. Please let me go."

Troy closed his eyes and for a minute, hugged the blond tighter to him, if that was possible, but then relinquished his grip. Ryan pulled back and gave his now ex-boyfriend a watery smile before reaching up to wipe away his tears. He then resituated his bag on his shoulder and backed up slowly before turning around to walk down the hallway.

As he got further away, he turned to look at the brunet who was still standing in the hallway, watching after him. He smiled again and then mouthed the words 'I love you' before turning around and heading off to class.

•••HSM•••

Ryan sat on the stage of the auditorium. He'd been moping through the school all day, barely paying attention to anything that was happening around him. Sharpay had all but slapped him when he was caught dozing in drama. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't seem to get his mind off Troy. Rather, he couldn't take his mind of the decision he made regarding Troy.

As soon as the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, Ryan made his way to the auditorium. There were no rehearsals going on, so he knew he could just sit and think in the one place he'd always felt free enough to be himself.

He placed his bag in one of the front row seats and then made his way over to the stage, hoisting himself onto the cold hardness. It was a sad state of affairs when the outside world mirrored what he was feeling, and when he looked around the auditorium, that's exactly what he saw. It was empty.

He kept trying to convince himself that he'd done the best thing. He needed to end his relationship with Troy before he got too involved, before he got too committed, only to be left behind when the brunet found something bigger and better. Which, by all accounts, was likely to happen.

The only problem with that was that he was afraid he'd already passed that point.

He loved Troy; there was no denying that. He'd said as much at least three times when he'd ended things. He should have realized that he was in too deep to leave the relationship unaffected when he couldn't leave without shedding some tears.

Hell, he'd been in too deep the second they'd decided to actually be in a relationship.

But what was done was done. There was no turning back now. And it _really_ was in the best interest for everyone. Now Troy was free to pursue his goals and dreams without anything holding him back. His life would be so much greater with all of the possible options laid out in front of him.

At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

He laid back on the stage, spreading himself across the cool surface, continuing to try to convince himself he'd done the right thing. The more he told himself, the more likely his chance would be of actually believing it.

At least, that's what he hoped.

•••HSM•••

The locker room was strangely silent. It had been about 10 minutes since everyone left, but Troy was still sitting on one of the benches. He knew eventually he'd have to join the rest of his team out in the gym, but for now at least, he'd like to think he could just sulk alone in the locker room.

At least when he was alone he didn't have to think of new ways to tell people that the reason he was depressed was because he'd broken up with his boyfriend. It got rather annoying after the tenth time.

He sighed and looked down at the floor. His red and white shoes, which coincidentally matched his red and white basketball uniform and the red and white wristbands he was wearing, coming into vision.

Basketball. It was the one thing he had always known, the one thing that had remained a constant (besides his parents) in his whole life. He'd planned on continuing his basketball career as long as he could.

And then Ryan came along.

The blond made Troy rethink everything about his life and what he wanted out of it. He'd never actually had to think about whether or not basketball was the way to go before, he'd just known it. And then Ryan came, and with him, a whole new array of possibilities.

Ryan had been the first person to ever ask him what he wanted to major in at college. Truth be told, he'd never really given that much thought. He'd never even considered the possibility that he could turn his passion for sports into a full-fledged, legitimate career. Sports medicine, physical therapy, physical training: who knew? He certainly didn't. And all of these possibilities were made open to him because of his now ex-boyfriend.

But then again, maybe Ryan was right. Being in a same-sex relationship would most certainly spell doom for any career in pro sports that he could ever entertain. Not being with Ryan meant he could continue on the path he been. He could go to college on a basketball scholarship, hopefully excel on a team and then, maybe, possibly, he could be drafter to an NBA team.

But was the possibility of maybe making a professional team worth giving up something he knew could be one of the best things ever to happen to him?

He didn't know. But hopefully he'd be able to make peace with the reality of the situation.

**A/N: So … it's been a while. I'm not going to make any apologies, but I will say that I hope to God to have this story finished soon. Anyway, the drama has returned! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Please read and review!**


	23. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER 22**

It had been about a week since Troy and Ryan called it quits, and things around East High, at least for the two of them, had returned to an odd sense of normalcy. Everything was just as it had been before they started dating. Eerily so, in fact. They still hung out with one another; they ate lunch together with their friends; they still spoke with one another, even if it was stunted and sometimes awkward. The only major noticeable difference between the two of them lay in the fact that they only interacted with one another at school.

Once the school day ended, they went their separate ways. There was no more going over to one another's house; there was no more cuddling in Troy's beat up truck; there was definitely no more kissing. They only ever seemed to cross one another's path by accident, and it was something that was driving Troy absolutely insane. He didn't realize just how much a part of his life the blond had become, and he was having a hard time adjusting to a huge portion of his life being cut out.

"Dude," Chad said, pulling Troy out of his thoughts.

The two of them had been sitting in Troy's bedroom watching television, Chad leaned against the bed while Troy lay across it. But as had been the case ever since Ryan had broken up with him, Troy found himself zoning out and leaving Chad to entertain himself.

"What's up with you?" Chad began again. "I can't go more than five minutes without you going into la-la land. Sometimes I feel like I'm here on my own—and you're sitting right next to me."

"Sorry, man," Troy replied. "I was just thinking."

"Yeah," Chad said, smirk firmly in place on his face, "about Ryan."

The two of them sat in silence for a few moments, both of them lost in their own thoughts. One thinking about a relationship lost, and the other thinking how he could help his friend. Chad knew that Troy was good at putting up a front to most people, but he had known the brunet for such a long time. He could always tell when Troy wasn't as good as he let on.

"So, how are things going?" Chad asked. "I mean, you know, with Ryan. I still see the two of you together. It's like you stay friends with everyone you've ever dated. First you and Gabby, now you and Ryan. Is there anyone you can't be friends with?"

Troy didn't respond. In fact, Chad noticed that his friend just stared at his bed comforter. He furrowed his brows and took a good look at his friend. Troy looked depressed. For as much as he could see what others did not, he had missed that fact. "Are you okay?" he asked.

The brunet heaved a sigh and shifted on his bed so that he was lying on his back, facing the ceiling. "I don't know," he finally said. "I thought I could do this, you know, be around him and still be friends, but I don't know if I can do it."

"I thought you guys agreed to call it quits," Chad replied, somewhat confused. "I didn't think you'd have such a hard time."

"_We_ didn't end things, _Ryan _did," Troy said softly. "The thought hadn't even crossed my mind until he brought it up, and then it had only been one day and he just came in to school and said that we had to end things before they go too serious. He said something about my future and that I wasn't thinking it out. I don't know."

Chad just looked at his friend. It had been a while since he found out about the break up, but he had never pressured Troy to give him the details. He had just assumed it was a mutual decision given that the two of them were still acting all friend-like. Apparently he was wrong.

"Well, it makes sense, dude," Chad said. And from his point-of-view, it did. Ryan was looking out for Troy's best interest. He knew that Troy had only ever thought about being a basketball star, and he also knew that being with Troy would have thrown a huge wrench into that plan.

"What are you talking about?" Troy asked, perplexed over his friend's statement. Couldn't he see that he was in pain? "It doesn't make any sense."

"Sure it does," the curly-haired teen insisted, turning to face his friend. "He only thinks he's doing what's best for you."

"And how do you figure that?" Troy asked, still not understanding where his friend was coming from.

"Look at it this way," Chad started, moving up to a position on the bed sitting next to Troy. "Ryan knows that all you've ever wanted was to be a ball pro. He knows that being in a relationship with him could mess that up for you. And he doesn't know if this thing between you will even work out. He doesn't want to ruin something he knows you can do for something he's not sure will make it."

It took a moment from Troy to digest all of that information, and even though he thought it was an entirely convoluted form of logic, he did have to admit that it made sense. He didn't like it right now, but maybe this whole ordeal was for the best in the long run.

•••HSM•••

Shopping wasn't normally something Troy indulged others in. And yet there he was, in the middle of the mall with his ex-girlfriend. He wouldn't normally be spending some of his very little free time at the mall, but he really had nothing better to do. Since Troy's dad had been working them all to the grindstone, Chad was taking the opportunity to spend that time with Taylor.

Stupid friends with their stupid relationships.

He'd tried taking Chad's perspective of what Ryan was trying to accomplish by breaking things off, but it still didn't make things any easier to deal with. And so when Gabriella had suggested that they go to the mall, he thought this would be a really good way to distract him for at least an hour or two.

"So, how are things going with basketball?" Gabriella asked. She had been trying to make small talk ever since they arrived, but most of her attempts had fallen flat, and even when they didn't, all she got from the brunet were single-word answers.

"Oh, you know," Troy said, noncommittally.

"No, I don't," Gabriella said, finally becoming frustrated with the whole situation. "That's why I asked you."

"Oh, uh, sorry," Troy said, blushing slightly. "It's been really busy. My dad apparently thinks that we've forgotten how to play since the last season ended."

Gabriella laughed lightly. "What do you think your chances are of taking the championship again this season?" she asked. "Wouldn't that be a great way to end up during your senior year, not to mention impress the scouts?"

"Sure," Troy muttered. Talking about basketball and his senior year and anything that had to do with life after high school always made him think about Ryan and his reasoning for breaking up. Whatever progress Gabriella had made in getting Troy to open up had just been cancelled out by that last comment.

She noticed Troy slip back into his reserved state, but was too weary to actually do anything to change it, so she just fell into step beside her ex-boyfriend. The two continued on for several minutes, neither stopping nor talking to one another, until they heard someone calling their names.

The two of them turned around to find Sharpay, in all her pink high-heeled glory waving at them and strutting down the concourse toward them. Gabriella offered a genuine smile and Troy tried, until he saw the figure standing next to the ostentatious blonde. It was Ryan.

Soon, Sharpay and Ryan were standing right in front of the two friends. "Well, well," Sharpay began. "What brings the two of you here? I thought for sure you'd be at practice, Troy. That's where Zeke has been for, well, forever, really. Did your dad loosen the reigns for one day?"

"Yeah," Troy said quietly, looking up from the floor briefly to look at the blonde. His gaze then fell on the boy standing next to her. "Hey, Ry," he said.

"Hey," Ryan replied, a shy smile on his face.

Gabriella and Sharpay looked between the two boys and then at each other, both quirking an eyebrow. "Well, come on, Ryan," Sharpay began, handing her brother another bag, "we've got a few more places to hit up before we're supposed to be back for dinner."

She then shot a smile at the two brunettes. "Toodles," she said as she began walking away. Ryan smiled slightly and then turned heel to follow his sister back down the concourse.

"I don't think I'll ever understand that girl," Gabriella said.

"Me either," Troy replied, his gaze still focused on the two retreating blondes.

Gabriella looked at Troy and could tell what, or who, he was watching. She expelled a soft sigh before grabbing his arm and dragging him down the opposite way. "Come on, Troy," she said softly. "Things will work themselves out. Promise."

•••HSM•••

With the end of the semester nearing, everyone at East High was busy. The basketball team was practicing non-stop, the drama kids were rehearsing like mad trying to prepare themselves for their end-of-semester recital. Everyone was busy getting ready for something, which is why Troy wasn't all that surprised when he heard voices coming from the auditorium.

The basketball star had been heading from the gym to the parking lot when he passed the home of the theater department. It had become kind of a ritual in recent days. He passed by the auditorium every day with the hope of catching a glimpse of the blond boy he once called his boyfriend. Most of the time, he never ran into anyone, but that didn't stop him from going.

This time, however, instead of continuing to pass when he saw no sight of Ryan, he stopped, recognizing the voice as Sharpay's. She was practicing along with several other people singing a song that Troy found vaguely familiar. It must have been something that Ryan listened to a lot, he wasn't that sure. But for some reason, he found the tune oddly engrossing. He stood in the doorway at the top of the aisle, listening as Sharpay sang.

"_Yes - _

_We couldn't be happier, _

_Right, dear?_

_Couldn't be happier_

_Right here_

_Look what we've got_

_A fairy-tale plot_

_Our very own happy ending_

_Where we couldn't be happier - _

_True, dear?_

_Couldn't be happier_

_And we're happy to share_

_Our ending vicariously_

_With all of you_

_He couldn't look handsomer_

_I couldn't feel humbler_

_We couldn't be happier_

_Because happy is what happens_

_When all your dreams come true!"_

That's exactly what Troy's life had been like up to this point. A fairy tale dream come true. He was handsome; he was popular; he was good at sports; he had a lot of friends. Things were looking pretty good for Troy Bolton, and he knew it. So he should be happy, right? His dreams were coming true. He was going to graduate and had all but been offered a spot on U of A's basketball team. He should be happy. Hell, he should be over the moon for all that his life was going well.

His thoughts were soon drawn back to the stage where Sharpay was indulging in another solo.

"_That's why I couldn't be happier_

_No, I couldn't be happier_

_Though it is, I admit_

_The tiniest bit_

_Unlike I anticipated_

_But I couldn't be happier_

_Simply couldn't be happier_

_(spoken) Well - not "simply":_

_(sung) 'Cause getting your dreams_

_It's strange, but it seems_

_A little - well - complicated_

_There's a kind of a sort of: cost_

_There's a couple of things get: lost_

_There are bridges you cross_

_You didn't know you crossed_

_Until you've crossed_

_And if that joy, that thrill_

_Doesn't thrill you like you think it will_

_Still - _

_With this perfect finale_

_The cheers and ballyhoo_

_Who _

_Wouldn't be happier?_

_So I couldn't be happier_

_Because happy is what happens_

_When all your dreams come true_

_Well, isn't it?_

_Happy is what happens_

_When your dreams come true!"_

Troy was struck by the lyrics and how closely they seemed to be aligning with his life. He should be happy, but he wasn't. He was getting everything he'd ever wanted, but he still couldn't bring himself to be happy about it.

His mind drifted again to thoughts of Ryan and that's when everything seemed to snap into place. His joy, his thrill wasn't basketball. Maybe his dream wasn't to be some basketball star. Maybe it was something totally different. Maybe it was Ryan.

He didn't want to end up like the character in the song who felt that the only way she could be happy was to hold on to the illusion of getting her dream. He knew that one day basketball was no longer going to do it for him and he didn't want to be alone when that day came. Now all he had to do was figure out how to explain all of that to Ryan.

Troy then pushed himself away from the wall on which he had been leaning and exited the auditorium. He had a lot to think about.

•••HSM•••

Ryan was walking to the parking lot after another painfully long day of school, which he had recently dubbed as 'Troy-dodging.' He knew it would be difficult to see his ex-boyfriend around school and act like he wanted to do anything besides run up and wrap his around the strong boy, but he didn't know it would be this difficult.

He had almost reached his car when he heard footsteps falling behind him. He turned around to see Austin walking toward his car. The blond caught sight of Ryan and smiled slightly as he raised a hand to wave. He then continued his approach to his car before hesitating slightly and turning to walk toward Ryan.

"Hey," he said, when he reached the slighter boy. "How's it going?"

"Oh, you know," Ryan said, not really wanting to get into a conversation in the parking lot. "It's going."

"I heard about you and Troy," Austin said, not knowing how his ex-boyfriend would take to him broaching the topic of his newly ex-boyfriend. "I'm—"

"Look," Ryan started, cutting the other boy off, "if you think this is a good opportunity to come in and start things back up because you think I'm vulnerable or whatever, you're mistaken. And I kind of resent that you would actually do something like this to me, in the parking lot of all places."

Austin looked taken aback for a moment before frowning and responding. "That's not what I was going to do," he said. "I wanted to say that I was sorry that things had to end. You looked like you were really happy with him."

Ryan stood there for a moment, looking completely gob-smacked. Whatever he thought Austin would have said to him, he definitely wasn't expecting anything like that.

"Look," Austin started again, seeing that Ryan wasn't going to say anything else, "once I got over the fact that I had been dumped, I was able to actually take a look at the two of you. Once I got my jealousy to stop clouding my view of everything, I could see that you both mean a lot to one another and that you're actually really good together."

Ryan had the good sense to look contrite after accusing Austin of trying to take advantage of a situation. "Thanks," he muttered. "Not that it matters anymore; I ended things. They just never would have worked out."

Austin's frown deepened at that. "What do you mean it never would have worked out?" he asked. "You two seemed to be genuinely in love and every one of your friends seemed to accept the situation. What wouldn't have worked about that?"

"You don't get it," Ryan said, leaning against his car. "No one seems to get it. All Troy has ever wanted was to go pro, you know, play in the big leagues. He could never have done that if we were a couple. No sports team would ever have picked him up. He would eventually hold that against me and then everything would end anyway, I just cut out the middle part in the hope that we could still be friends."

"And how is that working out for you?" Austin asked, folding his arms and giving Ryan a look that said he wasn't buying it.

Ryan pushed himself from the car and leaned in toward the other blond. "Look," he said, "I don't need to explain myself to you and I don't want to talk about this anymore, so while it's been a real slice, I'm going to go home and get on with my life. Have a nice day."

Before he could turn around, though, Austin grabbed a hold of his arm. "I didn't mean to upset you, Ry," Austin said. "I just think you're making a mistake, and I would hate to see you do something like that without actually talking to Troy about it. I think you would be surprised by what he would have to say."

Before Ryan could stifle his hope, he blurted out another question. "And just what makes you say something like that?" he asked.

Austin let go of the other boy's arm. "I don't have a lot of friends here," he began. "Which means I have a lot of free time on my hands. I watch people. I think you might have misjudged what Troy really wants."

Ryan looked about ready to argue some more, so Austin quieted him by continuing. "I'm not going to pretend to know everything about your relationship, but I can tell by the way you both look at each other that you really are in love. If you're giving that up because you think Troy would be better off with a basketball career, then I think you should reconsider what you did."

"But—" Ryan tried to interject.

"But nothing," Austin said. "You will both be successful at whatever you both decide to do. No matter what. You shouldn't take the opportunity away from Troy to decide what he wants because you think you know best."

Ryan just stood there, soaking everything in. It wasn't often that someone talked to him like that, unless, of course, that person was Sharpay. It surprised him, but it was making sense.

"I know you have no reason to believe anything I say," Austin continued, "but while you may be successful at whatever you do, you aren't going to come across the one person who was meant to complement you more than once in your life. I would hate for you to miss out on something so cosmically improbable because you're trying to do the right thing."

With that, he smiled and squeezed Ryan's shoulder before turning away and heading toward his car. Ryan continued standing there, just looking at his ex-boyfriend. That was completely unexpected.

And completely compelling.

**A/N: So … there's another chapter! I know it's been a long wait, but hope this was worth it. There are only two other chapters left in this story, and I hope to get them written over the Thanksgiving Break. I'm also really excited to see that more and more Tryans are popping up all over the place. I really like some of these new stories and am glad that the third movie has seemed to inspire people to pick up this pairing again.**

**Thanks to everyone who has kept with me and this story. I hope you continue to enjoy this story. Please, don't forget to review!**


	24. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER 23**

Troy sat at one of the round, red tables in the cafeteria surrounded by his friends. It was the day before the big game against West High, and everyone in the school was talking about it, especially those situated around his table. The brunet had been listening on and off to his teammates as they talked strategy, but had mainly been pushing his food around his plate, trying to keep himself from thinking about the blond sitting across the table from him.

He cast furtive glances at Ryan every now and then, silently scolding himself every time he did it. The last thing he needed to be doing right now was loosing focus of the game the day before it happened. He also didn't need to be turning into a creepy stalker ex-boyfriend who listened in on conversations being had by his former flame. Apparently he wasn't being successful at either of his goals.

Ryan, on the other hand, had been a little more successful in distracting himself only because Gabriella and Taylor had taken it upon themselves to hold their own conversation—that made no mention of basketball—and made a point of involving Ryan in it as much as humanly possible.

"I still can't believe I have so much to do before all of my college applications are due," Taylor said while laying her forehead down on the cool metal of the table.

"Wait," Ryan started, "you mean you don't have all of your applications turned in already? I thought everything was due a few weeks ago. It's not like you to be late with things, Ms. McKessie." He finished with a lilt in his voice that caused Taylor to raise her head and smack him on the shoulder playfully.

"This is all just supplemental scholarship material," Taylor said. "You better believe I was all up on that early action application stuff."

"I guess that sounds more like you," Ryan agreed. Then his attention to the brunet sitting on the other side of him. "And then we don't even have to worry about Gabriella. She's already running Stanford, no need to actually go to school there."

Gabriella rolled her eyes and smiled at her friends. "And what about you, Ry? What do you have planned for this weekend? Anything exciting?"

Ryan grimaced, suddenly remembering all that he had to accomplish in the next few days. "Ugh," he started. "My family has this one business thing we have to attend this weekend, which means I'm going to be spending a majority of the next two days doing all the homework I won't be able to finish over the weekend.

"In fact, you'll be lucky to see any of me over the next few days. I plan to sequester myself in my room until everything is finished. The last thing I need to be worrying about while trying to make a good impression is whether or not my calculus homework is finished. Unless, of course, one of you lovely ladies would like to do it for me," he finished, eyeing the two biggest brains in all of East High as he said it.

Both of the girls started laughing, but Troy was anything but. As he had been surreptitiously listening in to the conversation across the table, he had heard every word. And he didn't like the fact that there was a possibility that the blond wouldn't be there to watch him play tomorrow.

He'd gotten really used to having the blond in the stands cheering him on over the course of the season, and he was wary to give it up now, especially during such an important game. Just as he was about to say something to the people who didn't even know he was listening, the bell rang, signaling the end of their lunch period. People started leaving the cafeteria en masse and Troy grabbed his bag from next to him so that he could catch up with the retreating blond before he got too far away.

Troy pushed his way through the crowds and cursed the fact that Ryan was so nimble and able to weave through crowds while he had to bowl people over. Once he realized he wasn't going to be able to catch up, he went with another tactic. He yelled. "Ryan!" he shouted, glad when he saw the blond stop and turn around.

He caught up with the slighter boy, but found himself suddenly at a loss for words. He stood there awkwardly for a moment just looking at the blond.

"Is there something you wanted," Ryan asked, looking at Troy curiously. "Or were you just yelling my name down the hallway for kicks?"

"Oh yeah, I uh," Troy started, trying to salvage whatever kind of sense of self he had left. "I, well, I overheard at the table that you might not be able to go to the game tomorrow and I just wanted to, you know, make sure that you were actually going to be there. The game, I mean."

Ryan's face turned from one of confusion to having a slight smirk. "Of course I'll be there," he said reassuringly. "Do you even think Gabriella and Taylor would let me miss it? They'd tie me up and drag me here before I missed out on the most important game of the season."

Then he placed his hand on the brunet's shoulder. "I'll be there, right along with everyone else, cheering you all on. Don't worry about it."

And with that, he took off down the hallway toward his next class. Troy stood there for a moment longer, thinking. While he was glad that Ryan was going to be there, he didn't like the fact that the blond wouldn't be there just for him. It had been a while since they had called things off and Troy was beginning to get really pissed off at the fact that he couldn't seem to let go of what they had and get used to what they were now.

Something was going to have to give soon. He just didn't know what … or how.

•••HSM•••

There was only about 15 minutes until the game started and in between doing warm up drills with his teammates and stretching his muscles for increased flexibility, he was keeping an eagle eye on the entrance to the gym, waiting for a certain someone to walk through the doors and flash that winning smile that he'd come to love.

He went back to stretching his hamstrings, focusing on his flexibility when a shock of light blond hair caught the corner of his eye. His head whipped around and he watched as Ryan, Gabriella, Kelsi and Taylor walked through the entrance. He quickly got up from his position on the floor and jogged over to the group of friends.

"Hey, Troy," Gabriella said by way of greeting. "Are you ready to put the heat on West High today and reclaim the title?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," he said. He looked around the group, each of them offering a greeting before heading up to find places to sit in the bleachers. Soon it was just him and Ryan.

"So," Ryan began awkwardly, rocking back and forth on the heels of his feet, hands shoved in his pockets. "Are you going to be able to pull this one out?"

Troy smiled back at the blond. "I sure hope so," he said. "It'd be a shame to make it this far and not go all the way, right?"

"Yeah," Ryan said. "That's definitely one way of looking at it."

Truth be told, Ryan couldn't help but make a parallel between what Troy had just said about the basketball game and how their relationship had worked out. They had gone so far. Troy had gone public with their relationship; their friends and families had been both accepting and supportive; and that didn't even begin to touch on the fact that Ryan always felt better when he was with Troy. They had gotten that far, and then Ryan threw it all away because he wasn't willing to deal with his own insecurities.

Ryan wanted nothing more than to have his Troy back, but he wasn't sure how ready or willing Troy would be to take him back. Had he realized that basketball really _was_ more important. He really didn't feel like putting himself up for rejection, and he didn't even know if Troy was willing to put himself up for possible rejection again if things didn't work out between the two of them.

With all that said, however, whenever he saw Troy smiling or looked him in the eyes, all he wanted was for things to go back to the way they were before he had royally screwed everything up.

Suddenly, he realized that he had just been standing silently in front of the basketball star for longer than was usually deemed socially acceptable. "I, uh, I better get going up to the stands before they wonder if I got lost," he stuttered out.

"Yeah, well the gym is a pretty confusing place," Troy said, a big smile on his face. "Especially when the cheerleaders come out."

Ryan smiled and then, before he could think enough to stop himself, he put his hand on Troy's shoulder and leaned in to place a soft kiss on the brunet's cheek. "You'll do great, Troy. I know it," he said before turning around and quickly making his way up to where his friends were sitting.

Troy just stood there, staring after the blond. He couldn't help the goofy smile from plastering itself on his face, nor could he stop his hand from going up to rest on his cheek for just a moment. It all seemed like something out a romance novel.

•••HSM•••

They were half way through the second quarter of the game and Troy just couldn't get his head into it. Whenever he was running down the court, his eyes would drift to the stands and his thoughts would drift to Ryan. From there, his thoughts would invariably go to the kiss Ryan had given him right before the start of the game, and then all bets were off as to how productive he could be.

He had missed passes intended for him, screwed up routine plays, and was more than likely causing his dad to have an aneurism.

But try as he might, he just wasn't able to get his mind off of the blond sitting up in the stands, cheering with the rest of his friends. Much to the dismay of everyone else.

"Troy!" Chad yelled from across the court, pulling the brunet's thoughts back to the game. "What is going on? Get your head—"

"In the game," Troy finished. "Yeah, I know." And with that he began sprinting back down the court.

•••HSM•••

What had he been thinking? What had possibly possessed him to kiss Troy before he went up to his seat? He had no idea why he had done such a stupid thing, and he had obviously thrown the basketball player for a loop if his playing was anything to on.

"What's up?" Gabriella asked from her spot next to him. "You're not paying any attention to the game, although I can't say I blame you; we're not doing too well."

"I, uh, I just have some things on my mind is all," Ryan said, not really wanting to discuss his pining over both of theirs ex-boyfriend.

His attention focused back on the game just in time to see Troy botch another pass at one of his teammates. Ryan cringed. He really hoped that he wouldn't be blamed for the inevitable loss their team would face today.

•••HSM•••

Troy had just taken a reaming from his dad who was none too happy about his performance so far. His team didn't look too thrilled with him, either, if the looks they were shooting him in the locker room were anything to go by.

Now, several minutes into the second half of the game, and Troy still wasn't faring much better. He was trying to refocus and was running down the court with his head down when he ran smack into one of the other team's larger centers. His lack of attention caused him to lose his balance and fall back onto the floor, hitting his head on the hard ground of the court.

He lay there for a moment, trying to regain his bearings. It seemed as though a kind of hush had fallen over the court, at least that's what he thought, although it could have just been the throbbing of his head drowning out the rest of the noise.

Once he felt as though he wouldn't throw up, he sat forward and looked up into the stands, seeing Ryan's concerned face looking down at him. He gave a weak smile, and waved, signaling that he was okay. He saw Ryan's shoulder sag and assumed it was because he was relieved. Then the blond's gaze hardened and he mouthed, "You need to pay more attention, Troy."

Eventually, he arose back to a standing position and the crowd began to cheer. The only thing he never understood about basketball, or any sport for that matter, was why the crowds always made such a big deal whenever someone who might have been potentially injured stood back up. He blushed a little, embarrassed that everyone had just been witness to his clumsiness, but then looked back over to Ryan who was smiling softly at him.

And at that moment, it became clear. Basketball was a rush, and, sure, he enjoyed it. But it was nothing compared to the rush he got by being around Ryan.

There was no more question in his mind. He didn't need basketball, and if he couldn't have Ryan he didn't even want basketball. And as soon as the game was over, he was going to let the blond know just that. He was done with pining. He was done with moping. He was ready to win this game and get his man back.

•••HSM•••

Fifteen seconds remained in the final quarter and Troy had made an impressive comeback. Only one point separated them from the West High team and Troy was in possession of the ball.

He dribbled skillfully down the court, dodging opponents. He made it to the free throw line at the top of the court and appeared to anyone who was looking to be preparing himself to shoot, but then at the last moment, passed the ball to Chad who took the ball in for a lay up.

The ball bounced off the backboard and onto the rim of the hoop. Troy felt himself holding his breath at the ball bounced back and forth before finally falling through the net just as the buzzer sounded indicating the end of the game.

The roar from the crowd was deafening and Troy felt as his entire team rushed to him followed by a large majority of the gym's occupants. After patting his teammates on the back and congratulating the other team for a great game played, his eyes scanned the crowd to find Ryan sitting in his place on the bleachers looking down at the hysteria that was going on all around.

Troy swallowed before making his way through the throngs of people and up to the quickly emptying bleachers. He climbed the rows quickly until he was standing directly in front of the cute blond.

"You did great, Troy," Ryan gushed. "After the first half, I didn't think you would be able to pull it off, but then you did. I guess that's why they call you the playmaker."

"Yeah, well," Troy started, not really knowing what to say after that. And so he stood there, the silence between them rivaling the noise created by the rest of the people in the gym.

"I want you," Troy blurted out, blushing after he realized what he had said. "I mean, I, uh. I want you."

Ryan looked back up at Troy. And if a boy could look that way, Troy would have said that the blond looked somewhat demure. "Really?" he asked.

"Really," Troy replied. "I just realized that basketball is all well and good, but it really doesn't mean anything to me unless I have someone special to share it with. And I want that someone to be you."

Ryan just smiled and leaned in for a soft kiss. But Troy had another idea. He wrapped his arms around the blond's waist and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss in the process. It had been far too long since he'd felt Ryan's lips on his own and he wasn't going to let this first reunion go to waste.

Eventually, Ryan pulled away and cringed a little bit. "Ew, Troy," he whined, "you're all sweaty and gross. You're going to make my clothes smell."

"I'll get you something else to wear," Troy said leaning back in, but he was halted by Ryan's hand on his chest.

"I don't trust your fashion sense," he said quickly before pecking Troy on the nose. "Now, why don't you go shower and change, and then you can take me to the after party."

Troy smiled and nodded his head, liking the fact that this wasn't going to be nearly as complicated as most of their relationship had been. "Sounds like a good idea," he said before kissing Ryan one more time and heading down the bleachers toward the locker room, determined to take the world's fastest shower so he could rejoin his _boyfriend_ again.

•••HSM•••

They had been at the party for well over three hours and it was still going strong. Apparently big wins would do that to partygoers. Troy and Ryan had been inseparable from the moment Troy left the locker room at the school. They had driven to the party together and hadn't left one another's side the entire time.

Gabriella had been the first to catch on to the couple's reunion and had alerted the rest of their friends as to their status. They had spent the next half hour accepting congratulations for that on top of Troy already having to entertain everyone at the party for at least a high five.

"Who knew after parties could be so draining," Ryan said, leaning into Troy's side.

"I know," Troy agreed, squeezing his boyfriend's waist. "It's almost more draining than the actual game."

Ryan laughed again before his attention refocused on the people walking around them. It was nice being back with Troy, but he was hoping for something a little more private.

Sensing what his boyfriend was thinking, Troy asked, "Hey, do you feel like going upstairs to my room?"

"Is that okay?" Ryan countered, not wanting to upset Troy's parents who were already hoping the party would die down. "I mean, no one is going to miss us are they?"

"I don't think so," Troy said looking around and noticing that most people were too engrossed in their own conversations to even notice if the two of them disappeared.

So Troy grabbed a hold of Ryan's hand and led him up the stairs and into his room. Once they entered, Troy shut the door softly and turned around to find his arms full of a bouncing blond boy. "I've missed this," Ryan said between kisses. "And I've missed you."

"Me too," Troy said, running his hands up and down Ryan's back and then down lower so that they were cupping his rear end.

Ryan groaned softly and began kissing a little more passionately. Troy, too, groaned into the kiss and soon found himself backing his boyfriend toward his bed. When they bumped into the edge, Ryan lost his balance and fell backward, taking Troy with him.

It was nice feeling Troy's weight on top of him and soon Ryan's hormones were taking over. He couldn't get enough of the brunet. Everywhere Troy touched him, his skin tingled, and he wanted more—much, much more.

"Troy," Ryan gasped. "I want—I want—"

"Are you sure?" Troy asked, able to tell what Ryan was trying to say. "I mean, there are a ton of people downstairs and anyone could just barge up at any time."

"Are you trying to talk me out of this?" Ryan asked, a smirk on his face.

"Hell no!" Troy nearly shouted. "I just want to make sure that this is what you want. I always thought you would want it to be more romantic."

Ryan smiled and leaned up for a quick kiss. "Any time I'm with you is perfect," he said. "I know what I want, and I want this."

"You are such a sap," Troy said, smiling.

Ryan smacked him on the arm in response. "Are you trying to talk yourself out of getting some action? Because I feel like that's exactly what you're doing."

"Oh, definitely not," Troy replied, diving back down.

**A/N:** Aww … they're finally back together. And they're not wasting a single moment it would appear. This was a really fun chapter to write. I'd had this outlined since I first started this story and I finally got to get to this part. I can't believe I am only one chapter away from having this completed.

I feel like it's some massive undertaking to write something like this, but now that it's almost finished, I'm kind of sad to see it go. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. The final one will be up over the weekend.

Please read and review!


	25. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER 24**

Ryan sat in his seat next to his sister, the sun beating down on his fair skin. He was pretty sure he'd have some degree of sunburn before the ceremony was over even though he laid on the sunscreen really thickly before he left for graduation. Whoever thought graduation should be held out on the football field should have been dragged out into the street and shot. After, of course, they were forced to be sunburned as well.

He kept staring up and over a few rows at his boyfriend, who was also casting glances back at the blond. The letter B might be very close to the letter E in the alphabet, but that didn't mean much when it came to graduation seating. There had to be at least 50 people between him and Troy, but judging by the fact that Gabriella was the next one to give a speech, and because everyone had told her that the key to a good graduation speech was to keep it short, he didn't think he had too much time before he was reunited with the brunet.

He felt a sharp jab in his side and turned to see Sharpay making a face at him. He made a face back before she shrugged, seeming to give up on being subtle and pointed him in the direction of the audience that was seated in the stands on the other side of the stage.

He looked up just in time to see the flash of his parent's camera go off. He shuddered. He loved his mom, he really did, but she always seemed to exemplify the stereotypical characteristics of a loving mother. He actually had to sit her down before they left and have a conversation about how the only people in front of whom she was allowed to call him "ducky" were his immediate family and Troy. Anyone else was off limits.

He smiled weakly back at his mother who was waving frantically at him from her position in the stands, before his attention—as it invariably always did—went back to his boyfriend. The two made eye contact for a brief moment before Troy focused back on the stage where his ex-girlfriend was currently giving a speech.

•••HSM•••

Troy watched as Gabriella approached the podium. He'd gotten an advanced copy of her speech the day before, and so he knew that contrary to what everyone had told her, the speech was not going to be short in any way. It was actually pretty good, though, so her friends would ultimately forgive her. Hopefully.

Since he had already read the speech, he allowed his mind to wander. He turned to his left and caught sight of Zeke who was actually paying attention to the speech. He, along with Chad and Sharpay were sticking around town to go to the University of Albuquerque. Chad and Zeke would be playing basketball, although probably not starting until their sophomore year. Sharpay was going to study theater, obviously.

She'd probably end up marrying Zeke and taking over the family business when she was old enough, but he sure as he wasn't going to be the person who voiced that opinion. Whatever happened, he was sure the two of them would be happy.

Chad and Taylor had decided to give the long distance relationship thing a try. While Chad would stay back home, Taylor would make a go of things on the East Coast at Brown University. She was going to study microbiology and zoology. She was sure to win a Nobel Prize before she was 30 years old; Ryan agreed wholeheartedly.

Troy searched the crowd again before coming upon the bouncy brown curls of his short playwright friend. Kelsi was going to study composition at some conservatory in New York. It wasn't really all that surprising. What was surprising, however, was the fact that Jason was also going to a junior college in New York. Troy could only imagine the fight his friend's parents had put up when he made that announcement—Jason's parent's were particularly protective of him—and was glad that he wasn't around to watch his father's gasket blow.

He looked back down in his lap at the program he was holding. His mind drifted momentarily to the graduation robe he was wearing. Who ever thought it would be appropriate for kids to wear gowns like this to a ceremony? When were robes ever appropriate? Graduation really was kind of silly.

After he contemplated the meanings and rituals of the American high school graduation ceremony, he let his mind drift back to his boyfriend. His beautiful boyfriend. His smart, lively, sexy boyfriend.

After they had gotten back together after the last basketball game, and, uh, consummated, their relationship. Both he and Ryan had spent a long time talking about their future, what they wanted out of it and how it was to best go about attaining it.

Ryan thought it would be a bit stereotypical for him to go into some theater program, and even though he did love it, he felt his passions lie somewhere else. Troy, really never had given much thought to what he wanted, aside from basketball, which he had clearly decided was worth giving up. So, he was wide open to a lot of different options.

The two of them had submitted applications to many different colleges, and still hadn't made any decisions, except for the one that meant they would be going to college together. Troy knew that's exactly what his boyfriend wanted, but was hesitant to ask it of him. He remembered the exact way his face looked when he told the blond that going to different schools was not an option. He also remembered what happened right after. It was hot.

They were definitely going to be doing that a lot over the summer, what with neither of them having summer jobs and a whole lot of time on their hands. Oh yeah, summer was going to be great.

He looked back at his boyfriend just in time to make eye contact. The wink he gave the blond caused him to blush. Later today was going to be great, too.

•••HSM•••

Troy found himself with Ryan immediately following the ceremony. The two had met as soon as all the mortarboards had found their way back to the ground. It really was an unsafe tradition; someone could lose an eye.

The two had been talking and taking photos with their friends as they went off to find their families, while they waited for Ryan's parents to make their way down to the field. Troy's parents were being held up. Apparently being the coach of a championship team meant that all of the parents of every graduating senior needed to say something to his father.

Eventually, all parents and other assorted family members made their way to where the two of them were standing, and then the obligatory picture taking began. One with Sharpay and Ryan, one with Ryan and Troy, one with Troy and his parents, one with Sharpay, Ryan and Troy. Any combination of people they could find and the picture was bound to be taken.

Finally it came time to take a picture of the Evans family. Troy backed away from his boyfriend as the rest of his family gathered around. He was prepared to take the photo for all of them when Mr. Evans' booming voice caught his attention. "Come on, Troy," he said, "I said I wanted a picture of the entire Evans family. That includes you now."

The brunet smiled at the tallest of the Evans and headed over to the group where he took his place next to Ryan. He wrapped his arm around his boyfriend's waist and sighed in contentment as he felt Ryan lean into him. "I love you," he said as he lay his cheek on his boyfriend's blond hair.

"Love you, too," Ryan replied quietly before smiling for the camera.

•••HSM•••

"That was _so_ cute," Kaden said from his position on the couch. Half way through the story, he had curled himself into Jordan's side. He hadn't moved since then, too enraptured by the story.

"Yeah, I particularly liked how you basically censored all the parts where you and Ryan were getting it on, too," Jordan added, earning himself a playful smack on the arm from his boyfriend. "What?" he questioned, looking down at the blond. "You like the romance, I like the action. To each his own."

"You're so gross sometimes," Kaden said, shaking his head.

"Well," Troy piped up, "I had to leave Ryan's virtue intact somehow. I couldn't go out airing all of our dirty laundry, now could I?"

"You didn't care all that much last year, if I remember correctly," Kaden said, rolling his eyes. "I seem to remember several times walking into our dorm room with you two in various states of undress."

Ryan blushed. "Okay, moving on," he said, hoping to steer the topic of conversation in a different direction. "I think we're basically done moving everything up. Do you guys have any plans tonight?"

"I think we were just going to get some dinner and then head back to my place," Jordan said, a leer on his face. Ryan rolled his eyes; Kaden did the same thing, but didn't say anything to refute him.

"What about you guys?" Kaden asked, sitting up straight and scooting forward as if to get up. "Any big plans?"

"Ryan's probably going to have me help him set up his bedroom," Troy said, looking over at the blond. "Heaven forbid he sleep in a room that is not yet done up to his standards."

"Shut up," Ryan said. "Besides, after we're done setting the bedroom up, we can spend the rest of the night in there."

Troy's mouth spread into a grin before he whipped his head to look at their two friends. "So," Troy began, "you two should probably be going now."

Kaden had already begun getting up before Troy had started talking, almost like he knew what was about to happen. He gave Ryan a meaningful look that said he already knew where that conversation was going. "Come on," he said to his boyfriend. "Let's go."

Within moments, the two were out the door, Troy closing it right behind them. He then quickly made his way across the living room and over to the couch. He lifted Ryan up and tossed him over his shoulder. "What are you doing?" Ryan asked in between his fits of laughing.

"Well, I'm kind of bypassing the whole decorating thing and going straight to the rest of the night thing," Troy said as he entered Ryan's bedroom. "Do you have a problem with that?" He asked as he removed his boyfriend from his shoulder and tossed him lightly on the bed.

"Definitely not," Ryan replied.

**THE END**

**A/N:** Okay … so, I realize that it's taken a while, but hey, it's finished, right? And everything ended happily. I have an idea for another story in this little universe I've worked up in my head, but I have a different story I'm going to be working on next.

Any way, I hope you all enjoyed the story. I know I enjoyed writing it. Now, please read and review.


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